The mine
concept

The location of the mine is determined by geology, not choice. A mineral deposit cannot be relocated; it must be mined where it naturally occurs. For our project, the lithium deposit lies beneath the town of Zinnwald, at depths of up to 300 meters below the surface. To minimise environmental and social impacts, we want to process the extracted ore into its final product as close to the mine as possible. We are currently evaluating two potential sites for the processing facility: one near the town of Bärenstein and another near Liebenau.

Lithium mica, the mineral containing the valuable metal, is embedded within solid rock. To access it, chambers will be created by breaking the rock. The extracted ore will then be crushed in an underground facility, streamlining the process and minimising surface disruption.

The crushed ore will be transported to the surface through a tunnel system using conveyor belts, significantly reducing the need for trucks and minimising surface disruption. Once above ground, the ore will be delivered directly to the processing facility, where a variety of processing techniques will extract the lithium from the host material. Locating the processing facility close to the mine enables this efficient transport method and reduces environmental and social impacts.

The exploration tunnel from the former border station at Zinnwald will improve access to the lithium deposit and allow for the extraction of additional ore for processing trials. Permitting and preparations for the tunnel’s construction are underway.

Mining chambers will not be left empty. Waste material from processing will be returned to the mine via the underground conveyor system, mixed with other materials to create a concrete-like backfill and used to fill the chambers to ensure ongoing stability.

Not all surplus material can be reused for backfilling, as some underground areas, such as active tunnels and chambers, must remain clear. This material will need to be stored externally. Additionally, the crushing and processing of rock to extract lithium produces a coarse sand byproduct that is less dense and occupies more volume than the original rock. To manage this excess, a dedicated storage site will be established near the processing facility. We are also looking at alternative uses for this surplus material.