EnergyX Commissions Lithium Extraction Demonstration Plant Near Texarkana

Mar 27

Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (EnergyX) said Thursday that it has commissioned what it calls the largest direct lithium extraction production plant in the U.S., a 250-ton-per-year demonstration facility at the TexAmericas Center industrial park in Hooks, Texas, near Texarkana.

During a livestreamed presentation, the company said the plant, dubbed Project Lonestar, is now operational, processing locally sourced Smackover brine and producing battery-grade lithium carbonate equivalent.

EnergyX said the facility is the first DLE plant in Texas processing Smackover brine and a critical validation point for extraction efficiency, recovery rates and cost profile.

“Bringing the biggest integrated DLE lithium demonstration plant online in the United States is a foundational milestone for EnergyX and for U.S. domestic lithium production in general,” CEO Teague Egan said in a news release.

What to Know

EnergyX is pitching the plant as proof that its in-house GET-Lit technology can work at industrial scale under real-world conditions.
The company is framing refining — not just extraction — as the real strategic bottleneck, saying U.S. lithium resources still face a major conversion gap because China controls 70% to 75% of global lithium chemical conversion capacity.
The facility will also produce 5- to 25-ton battery-grade samples for customer qualification, making it a bridge between pilot success and commercial deployment.

What’s Next

EnergyX said the plant will now be used to optimize system design and validate process economics ahead of commercial expansion. Longer term, Project Lonestar is designed to scale to 12,500 tons per year by 2028 and 50,000 tons per year by 2030, with site development and permitting at TexAmericas Center among the key milestones to watch.

Watch a record of the livestream below: