Development of the Potential Lithium Industry in the United States

In response to widespread electrification, the U.S. and global demands for lithium are expected to grow significantly over the next decades. While U.S. production is currently limited to Nevada, there are several projects under consideration throughout the U.S. INTEK has recently completed an assessment of the domestic lithium production potential. This assessment included: (1) potential sites for hard rock mining, solution mining, and direct lithium extraction (DLE) applied to brine from aquifers and produced oil and gas waters, (2) five existing and emerging extraction and processing technologies, (3) detailed project-level economic analysis, and (4) estimation of regional and national results including production, reserves, and socio-economic benefits under a range of technology and economic assumptions. The analysis determined that the lithium resources have the potential, under certain economic and technology scenarios, to meet the projected demand in the U.S. and support an export market. To realize this potential, concerted efforts are required between private industry, local, state, and federal governments to address challenges associated with resource access, technology development, permitting, and market.