Calgary-based LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners said it has cleared a major technical hurdle at its West Texas Midland Basin demonstration plant by successfully refining electric vehicle battery-grade lithium carbonate over multiple 24-hour production cycles during the past 3 months.
LibertyStream’s “Freedom Launchpad” pilot plant in Howard County, in the Permian Basin near Midland, has produced battery-grade lithium carbonate with a tested purity of 99.7%, exceeding the 99.5% minimum purity benchmark commonly specified for electric vehicle batteries, the startup company announced in a 24 August press release.
In June, the company, which partners with Select Water Solutions, one of the largest produced-water management companies in the US, sold its first metric ton of lithium carbonate to an undisclosed industrial customer.
The trial order was manufactured to customer specifications and was part of a 3-ton batch of lithium carbonate produced since May across three product categories: battery-grade, technical-grade, and customer-specific material, the company reported.
The company said it has shipped product samples to four companies for evaluation, including its first trial order, and produced material that meets specifications provided by three additional prospective customers. It has also signed a contract with its first commercial buyer to supply 600 tons of lithium annually beginning in 2027.
Envisioning Commercial Production
Management plans to replicate the pilot plant’s fully automated Gen 6 DLE (direct lithium extraction) system and refining system, designed to process up to 5,000 barrels of brine per day, at a larger commercial facility, “Freedom 1,” on the same property near Select Water Solutions’ West Texas site. The company said the facility is expected to have an annual lithium production capacity of 1,000 tons.
“Three months of production at battery-grade purity demonstrates the repeatability of our process,” said Alex Wylie, president and CEO of LibertyStream. “Customer work spanning seven organizations and our first definitive offtake agreement reflect market interest in our product.”
The customer work builds on LibertyStream’s first definitive lithium carbonate offtake agreement, which calls for 600 tons per year beginning in 2027 and establishes contracted demand for planned production from Freedom 1.
LibertyStream is a lithium development and technology company that aims to become one of North America’s first commercial producers of lithium carbonate from oilfield brine. The company said its proprietary DLE technology can be integrated into existing oil and gas infrastructure, helping reduce capital costs.