Court withdraws geothermal exploration license in Alsace, France
Rue du Sauvage, Mulhouse, Alsace, France (source: Jorge Franganillo from Barcelona, Spain, CC BY 2.0 
Carlo Cariaga
16 Feb 2026
A French court has withdrawn a previously granted geothermal exploration permit to Vulcan Energy in Alsace, France, citing procedural reasons.
The Nancy Administrative Court of Appeals (Cour administrative d’appel de Nancy) has overturned a 2024 decree that granted Vulcan Energie France an exclusive geothermal exploration permit at a 460-square kilometer around the city of Mulhouse in Alsace, France. However, the company still retains the license to explore for lithium deposits.
In 2023, Australian lithium and renewable energy producer Vulcan Energy Resources (Vulcan) announced that it had entered into an agreement with automotive manufacturer Stellantis to explore for geothermal resources at its industrial site in Mulheim. A few months prior, Vulcan Energy made an announcement on the expansion of its Zero Carbon Lithium business to the Alsace region of France, as well as the creation of its French arm, Vulcan Energie France.
According to the court, the decision was made on two procedural grounds – the failure to do a proper public consultation in certain affected municipalities, and the lack of publication of the notice of competitive bidding on the Official Journal of the European Union. The appeal against the original decision to grant the licenses was filed by the municipality of Baldersheim.
No comments on the matter have been provided by Vulcan Energy, nor by the French Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty
