Gold rush on the Upper Rhine: Lithium as a white gold causes excitement!

Gold rush on the Upper Rhine: Lithium as a white gold causes excitement!

In the race for the coveted "white gold" - lithium for high -performance batteries - there are developments in Austria and Germany. In Carinthia, the state authority's announcement that a planned lithium mine on the Koralpe did not require any environmental impact assessment were horrified by natural protectors. Anna Leitner von Global 2000 raises the alarm and emphasizes the risks of the unchecked greed of raw materials that urge nature conservation to the edge, the Krone .

At the same time, it is boiling on the Upper Rhine, where companies want to filter the raw material from thermal water. This region, which extends between Switzerland, Alsace and the German federal states, could potentially deliver lithium for up to 400 million electric cars. With the focus on environmentally friendly electromobility, manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche see themselves under pressure to build their own battery abrasions in Germany and require massive amounts of lithium, as well as the bw24 reported.

dispute over lithium mining in the Upper Rhine

In the city of Bühl in southwestern Germany, there is resistance to the plans of the Australian company Vulcan Energy for lithium acquisition. The mayor complains about a lack of transparency and criticizes that citizens are not sufficiently informed. While the population recognizes the opportunities of lithium mining, especially for the local economy, it also fears negative effects through the unclear communication of the company. With a test production in the region, which is scheduled to start by 2026, the “white gold” could soon be clearly noticeable in the German car industry.

The debates about lithium illustrate the global competition for critical raw materials for electric vehicle production. Where there was once gold digging mood, the interest in lithium is now blooming, which is considered the key to the turning point. The next steps in Carinthia and the Upper Rhine remain to be seen, because both conservationists and citizens are increasingly committed to possible environmental destructions and demand more transparency and participation.