A Welsh Firm Just Lined the Way for Cornwall’s Lithium Future

Deep beneath Cornwall, hot salty water has been circulating for millions of years. Now a family business from North Wales has played its part in finding out whether that water could help power Britain’s electric future.

Sean Carr Lining Technology, a geosynthetic lining specialist based in St Asaph in Denbighshire, has completed the design and installation of a lagoon liner at Cornish Lithium’s Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project near Truro.

What the lagoon is for

The newly built lagoon will temporarily store water pumped up from deep underground during drilling and testing work that is coming up. Cornish Lithium is getting ready to drill two wells to assess the lithium potential of naturally occurring geothermal waters, known as brine, which move deep beneath the county. Once the testing is done, the water will be safely pumped back underground.

SCLT’s job was the specialist preparation and installation of a high-performance liner to keep that water stored securely during the exploration phase. The lagoon gives a large capacity of secure storage and forms a critical part of the project’s infrastructure.

Why lithium matters here

Lithium is a key component of the lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems. The Cross Lanes project aims to confirm whether the site has the potential for commercial production of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent, which would support a secure, domestic supply of lithium for the UK.

SCLT was chosen for the work because of its expertise in geosynthetic lining and complex installation projects. The company has more than 30 years of experience delivering major schemes across the UK and overseas.

📷Installation of the specialist lining at Cornish Lithium’s Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project - Credit: Cornish Lithium and Sean Carr Lining Technology

What the two sides said

Owner Sean Carr said: “We are extremely proud to be part of this exciting project in Cornwall. It is a key project in a county where the critical minerals sector is seeing a strong resurgence, and being awarded the contract for such a prominent and technically demanding installation is a real endorsement of the high standard of work our team delivers. We are also incredibly proud of what has been achieved, and it shows how far we have come as a business over the last three decades. We wish Cornish Lithium every success as its Cross Lanes site moves into its next phase.”

Will Irani, Engineering Team Lead at Cornish Lithium, added: “The team at SCLT has done an outstanding job. Their professionalism, technical expertise, and collaborative approach were evident throughout and played a key role in the successful installation of the liner for our test-water lagoon which represents a critical piece of infrastructure for achieving the overall project scope. Working with specialist UK companies like SCLT not only strengthens our projects technically, but also delivers wider benefits by supporting skilled jobs, expertise and economic activity across the country. These partnerships play an important role as we progress towards commercial lithium production in Cornwall.”

The bigger picture

Founded in 2016, Cornish Lithium is focused on the responsible extraction of lithium from both geothermal waters and hard rock (granite) in Cornwall. Data gathered from the Cross Lanes wells will inform the project’s Final Investment Decision and support the company’s wider ambition to develop a network of modular geothermal lithium production facilities across the county.

Together with its Trelavour Lithium Project, the company aims to deliver a secure domestic supply of lithium for the UK by 2030, in line with the Government’s Vision 2035 Critical Minerals Strategy, which identifies lithium as a critical mineral essential for the energy transition.

You can find out more about Sean Carr Lining Technology and Cornish Lithium on their websites.

📷Installation of the specialist lining at Cornish Lithium’s Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project - Credit: Cornish Lithium and Sean Carr Lining Technology