Equinor Bolsters Lithium Supply with Strategic Partnership in Arkansas

Equinor ASA has solidified a strategic alliance with Standard Lithium by acquiring a 45% share in two lithium companies in Southwest Arkansas and East Texas. This $225 million collaboration, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is aimed at constructing a processing facility to secure an annual output of 22,500 tonnes of lithium carbonate for battery production during its first phase. Situated in Lafayette County, Arkansas, the facility will exploit lithium-rich brine spanning Lafayette and Columbia counties. The partnership signifies DOE's validation of the project's financial viability and advances it toward a final investment decision. With the potential to enhance the U.S. lithium supply chain and support community growth, the initiative also entails re-designing the project's structure to yield a total of 45,000 tonnes per annum through two 22,500-tonne phases. While the project's assessment evolves with a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and Front-End Engineering Design (FEED), it promises local job creation, infrastructural development, educational collaborations, and health services.