Lithium under car factories: U.S. startup Atana Elements plans to conduct exploration in Europe
2 June 21:48
The American startup Atana Elements plans to begin exploration and potential extraction of lithium in Europe, specifically at industrial sites belonging to major automakers such as Volkswagen and BMW. This was reported by the Financial Times, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the publication, the startup has already obtained exploration licenses for sites near Salzgitter in Germany and Wrocław in Poland. These areas are adjacent to battery manufacturing facilities, for which lithium is a critically important element.
Project Goal
The project aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on imports of critical minerals, particularly from China. According to the BBC , by 2025, China will process about 60% of the world’s lithium reserves.
“Atana Elements is collaborating with the Chilean mining company Antofagasta, using historical geological data and artificial intelligence to search for deposits. It is expected that up to 26 million tons of lithium will be extracted from the two sites over the next 20 years,” the publication writes.
In 2025, Energy Reporters reported the discovery of one of the world’s largest lithium deposits in Germany’s Altmark region. Neptune Energy found the equivalent of 43 million tons of lithium carbonate in underground brine. This deposit is being compared to the “lithium triangle” in South America.
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Lithium in Ukraine
In early 2026, Ukraine selected an investor to develop the “Dobra” lithium deposit in the Kirovohrad region. The winner was Dobra Lithium Holdings, a company with American investors.
In late April, it was reported that Finland became the first country in the EU to launch a full-cycle lithium extraction and processing operation, demonstrating Europe’s efforts to reduce its dependence on external mineral supplies.
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