Lithium developer Vulcan Energy Resources has signed a second supply deal with Renault from its German project, the supplier said in a statement.
The announcement came after Vulcan also revealed that it has sought a pause on part of the work at the second phase of its German project but said it did not anticipate any delays to its development timeline.
Under the latest Renault deal, the automaker will purchase between 26,000 to 32,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium chemicals from the Australia-listed company for an initial six-year period. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The second supply agreement between Vulcan and Renault is set to start commercial delivery in 2026 under the deal, Vulcan said in the statement.
Vulcan, which is one of a number of companies testing a direct lithium extraction (DLE) method that uses less land and groundwater, signed a deal in August to supply 6,000 to 17,000 tons of lithium annually to Renault from its geothermal brine deposits in Germany starting in 2026.
But it has run into opposition from some local municipalities and has asked Germany's regulators to pause development work for its second phase of growth while it reengages with stakeholders, the supplier said in a filing on Friday.
"Vulcan has requested this application review be paused whilst it engages further with local stakeholders to ensure alignment," it said, adding that it did not expect delays to its development timeline.
Vulcan's initial definitive feasibility study is due mid next year.
Research house JCapital flagged the potential for community opposition to derail Vulcan's operations when it released a short-seller report last month, which Vulcan dismissed as inaccurate and misleading.
Vulcan already has lithium supply deals with Belgian recycling group Umicore and Stellantis, as well as with South Korea's LG Chem.
Lithium is a core component for making lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles.
