Neptune Energy, a major oil and gas company, has just confirmed resources of 43 million tons of lithum carbonate (LCE) in the Altmark region in Germany. With huge potential for commercial extraction, it could become one of the key production nodes for battery technology in Europe.
Earlier this year, Neptune cited a theoretical estimate of 70 million tons of LCE for Altmark, saying that this could translate to around 25,000 tons of commercial extraction per year (roughly enough to supply around 500,000 EVs with battery materials annually).
Now, along with the independent valuation agency Sproule ERCE, Neptune has confirmed Altmark possesses resources of 43 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). While this is less than the initial 70 million tons estimate, Northern Saxony-Anhalt now possesses one of the world’s largest project-based lithium resources.
What this means is that Altmark is now set to be much more than an experimental site – instead, it’s poised to become a key node in Europe’s battery ecosystem. Andreas Scheck, Neptune Energy CEO, said: “This new assessment underscores the great potential of our licence areas in Saxony-Anhalt. This enables us to contribute significantly to the German and European supply market for the critical raw material lithium.”
This discovery comes at a good time for Neptune, which is pushing away from pilot trials towards full commercial extraction. In June, electrive reported how Neptune had initiated a pilot run in Steinitz (Altmark) using DLE, leveraging brine from existing gas wells and testing ion-exchange approaches with its partner Lilac Solutions. This speculative pilot phase was expected to run through to early 2026.
Since then, Neptune has commissioned a second pilot plant to evaluate various DLE technologies; it has successfully produced battery-grade lithium carbonate using an ion exchange process; plus it has expanded its permit portfolio, with a total of three exploration licences in the Altmark region (Mile A-L and Milde C-L in 2024, plus Milde B-L in August 2025), and the Jeetze-L production licence.
Germany, home to some of the world’s largest automakers, is pursuing supply security for critical raw materials through strategies such as battery recycling and domestic mining. The country currently counts three known lithium deposits: the Altmark region mentioned above, the Ore Mountains, where Zinnwald Lithium aims to begin extraction by 2030, and the Upper Rhine Graben, where Lithium Energy is developing projects.
neptuneenergy.de
