With Arkansas Building An Industry, Mississippi Sets Its Eyes on Lithium
Mississippi leaders say the Magnolia State could “lead in the production of domestic lithium” from the Smackover Formation, one of the nation’s highest-grade lithium brine resources. For Arkansans, the story sounds familiar — but also earlier-stage.
At the Mississippi Natural Resources Summit on Jan. 21, state geologist Tim Palmer said Mississippi’s brine concentrations can reach 1,700 mg/L, calling it “one of the highest quality lithium brines in the world,” according to a Mississippi Tribune story by Daniel Tyson.
Palmer noted that decades of oil and gas activity may have left behind an estimated 12.5 million metric tons of unrecovered lithium, a “major untapped resource.”
Officials tied lithium to Gov. Tate Reeves’ “Mississippi Power Play” energy strategy. And U.S. Department of Energy scientists highlighted the advantages of direct lithium extraction (DLE), which companies are hoping to unleash at scale in Arkansas soon.
The Catch
But legal and regulatory groundwork remains. The Tribune reports that panelists pointed to mineral ownership complexities and the need to craft new lithium laws. One recurring recommendation: “look at Arkansas,” which is already accepting brine unit applications and has a defined royalty framework.
In Arkansas, the state Oil & Gas Commission has set royalty rates and approved brine units, and one major DLE project — Smackover Lithium, the joint venture between Standard Lithium Ltd. of Vancouver and Equinor of Stavanger, Norway — is expected to break ground this year.
More: For the full Mississippi perspective, read the complete Magnolia Tribune report.
Plus: Palmer co-wrote a report on the distribution of lithium in the Smackover in Mississippi.
