The US Department of Energy (DOE) finalized the $225 million Standard Lithium and Equinor grant for the South West Arkansas (SWA) lithium project.
In May 2024, Equinor entered a strategic partnership with Standard Lithium, acquiring a 45% share in two lithium companies in southwest Arkansas and east Texas.
Funding of $225 million from the DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains will support construction of a processing facility for the SWA project, which, in Phase 1, is targeting an annual production of 22,500 tonnes of lithium carbonate for use in battery production.
“The US Department of Energy’s support demonstrates the project’s maturity and strengthens its financial robustness as we work towards a final investment decision. We look forward to working with Standard Lithium and alongside the local community to enhance the US lithium supply chain by deploying innovative technology,” saiid Hege Skryseth, executive vice president for technology, digital, and innovation at Equinor.
Lithium is an essential mineral required to meet the projected growth in electric vehicles and broader battery energy storage. Direct lithium extraction (DLE) is a method of producing lithium from lithium-rich saltwater typically from deep underground reservoirs that cannot be used for drinking or agriculture purposes.
The project’s design is being updated from its original preliminary feasibility study. The target is now a larger total output of 45,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate, to be developed in two phases of 22,500 tonnes each. A definitive feasibility study and front-end engineering design study are currently underway to mature the project toward a final investment decision.
The SWA project’s facilities are planned to be in Lafayette County, Arkansas, approximately 7 miles south of Lewisville, Arkansas, and the brine unit that will source lithium-bearing brine for the project facilities spans Lafayette and Columbia counties. Pending a positive investment decision, the project is expected to create up to 300 construction jobs and 100 direct jobs.
Mineral Extraction From Brines
- DLE is a method of producing lithium from lithium-rich saltwater typically from deep underground reservoirs that cannot be used for drinking or agriculture purposes.
- Lithium is separated from other brine constituents, such as sodium, calcium, and magnesium, by bringing the brine into contact with a medium designed to selectively attract the lithium.
- DLE is a technology that extracts lithium from brines located deep underground and reinjects the brine without lithium back into the subsurface through a second injector well.
- DLE technologies produce a high-purity lithium concentrate, which can be converted into battery-grade lithium chemicals using conventional processing technologies.
- Integrated DLE processes typically consist of five main steps: pretreatment, DLE, concentration, purification, and crystallization.