LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners Inc. has received a US $700,000 grant from the State of North Dakota to support construction of a commercial lithium carbonate refining unit capable of producing up to 10 tonnes per annum of industrial and battery-grade lithium carbonate. The grant, provided through a partnership with Wellspring Hydro, is drawn from a previously approved US $7.5 million grant and loan facility granted by the North Dakota Industrial Commission. Approximately US $4.2 million remains available for future draws under this program.
“We are deeply grateful to the State of North Dakota for this continued support, which not only reflects confidence in our DLE technology but also underscores our shared goal of strengthening the domestic supply chain for critical minerals,”commented Alex Wylie, President & CEO of LibertyStream. “Customers have made it clear they require bulk lithium carbonate samples to negotiate future offtake agreements. The Refining Unit is expected to provide our future customers with the lithium carbonate from the field they require.”
Initially, the unit will be installed at LibertyStream’s Texas facility. Upon completion of a commercial DLE facility in North Dakota’s Williston Basin, the refining unit is planned to relocate to that site. Wellspring Hydro’s grant was awarded through the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority Program and the Renewable Energy Program, which aim to foster renewable energy technologies, support state businesses, and utilize local workforce capabilities.
LibertyStream also announced the appointment of Eamon Hurley as Corporate Secretary. Hurley, a partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and former Canadian general counsel to Unocal Corporation, will receive options to purchase 250,000 shares at an exercise price of US $0.23 per share. The options vest over six months and expire on August 11, 2029.
LibertyStream applies its DLE technology to extract lithium from oilfield brines, leveraging existing oil and gas infrastructure to lower capital costs and reduce development risks. The company’s objective is to become one of North America’s first commercial producers of lithium carbonate from field brines while contributing to a sustainable, domestic critical minerals supply chain.
Source: Business Wire
