Successful LSC-3a well test de-risks and strengthens confidence in the Lionheart Field Development Plan
Vulcan Energy has successfully completed drilling and testing operations on a third new well at the Schleidberg drilling site near Insheim, close to Landau in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The well, LSC-3a, was drilled by Vercana, Vulcan's in-house drilling company, in September 2026 and was successfully tested in early October. Including existing wells, LSC-3a is the seventh of a planned 28 wells to be developed as part of the Lionheart Project.
The drilling programme began with the pilot well LSC-3, which was designed to precisely identify the depth and characteristics of a highly permeable rock interval and confirm the optimal target horizon for LSC-3a. Based on the findings, LSC-3a was drilled as a deviated horizontal well into this high-permeability zone, reaching a measured total length of 3,743 metres.
Following completion of drilling, Vulcan conducted a comprehensive injection testing programme. During testing, a surface injection rate of approximately 35 litres per second was achieved. Analysis of the test data and wellbore modelling indicates an estimated injection capacity of approximately 64 litres per second under planned operating conditions. This exceeds the approximately 40 litres per second assumed in the Lionheart development plan for reinjection into high-permeability reservoir intervals.
Lionheart's development strategy includes both production and reinjection wells. Production wells bring hot, lithium-rich geothermal brine to the surface, while reinjection wells return the brine underground after the extraction of heat and lithium. The Lionheart development strategy combines reinjection into high-permeability reservoir intervals with reinjection into fault-controlled zones to optimise reservoir performance.
Importantly, LSC-3a is the first well to successfully demonstrate reinjection into a high-permeability rock interval rather than a fault zone. The successful test therefore validates, under real operating conditions, a key assumption underpinning the Lionheart development plan. Reinjection into these higher-permeability reservoir zones has the potential to improve reservoir sweep efficiency, allowing larger areas of the reservoir to be utilised for both lithium extraction and renewable heat production.
The results of the LSC-3a injection test, together with additional geological and operational data collected during drilling, will be incorporated into the planning and execution of the next wells, LSC-4 and LSC-5. At the same time, Vulcan continues to assess opportunities to further optimise the Lionheart development plan. Data gathered from the wells drilled to date provide increasing evidence that the high-permeability reservoir interval extends across multiple well locations, supporting confidence in the broader field development strategy.
Cris Moreno, Managing Director and CEO of Vulcan Energy, commented:
“This is another strong result for Lionheart. The successful reinjection into the reservoir matrix at LSC-3a represents an important de-risking milestone as this is a key assumption underpinning our base case Field Development Plan. Results from our production and re-injection wells to date have shown we are meeting or exceeding our subsurface expectations, and this further reinforces our confidence as we progress Lionheart towards commercial production.
Just as importantly, the data provides further opportunities to optimise the Lionheart Field Development Plan and drive even greater efficiency through execution.
Every milestone we deliver reduces risk and moves us closer to first commercial production. We remain firmly focused on execution and on delivering a new local, low-cost, battery-grade lithium supply chain from Europe, for Europe.”