The brief

Analyst view

• Standard Lithium's South West Arkansas DLE project targets 22,500 tpa of battery-grade lithium carbonate, first production 2029.
• The company closed a $225M DOE grant in January 2025 and has secured EPCC and EPCM contracts for construction.
• Equinor's 45% partnership brings extraction expertise and production scale experience from decades of energy operations.

Technical approach

As reported

DLE technology

LiSTR from Koch Industries

Selective lithium extraction technology, proven in demonstration plant since 2021.

Brine source

Smackover Formation brine

Lithium-rich deep brine extracted as byproduct of bromine production, avoiding mining conflicts.

Infrastructure leverage

Partner with existing producers

Works with bromine facilities like LANXESS, leveraging existing infrastructure.