Alberta could become a leading global supplier of critical minerals like lithium, wresting control of supply chains away from countries like China.Thanks to an abundance of depleted oil and gas wells, Alberta is home to one of the largest concentrations of lithium in oilfield waste water in the world. Now companies are looking to capitalize by extracting it from those same abandoned oil wells.On Thursday, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz was on hand to kickstart the development of a pilot project near Olds to commercialize what promises to be a vast resource with a $5 million grant to Calgary-based E3 Lithium from Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction fund — the industrial carbon tax — and tout what could become a new global industry. .E3’s partners include the University of Alberta and Imperial Oil “There is a critical minerals race happening worldwide, and Alberta is setting the pace. Home to Canada’s largest brine reserves, well-documented drill sites and a talented oil and gas workforce, (Alberta) is the best place for E3 Lithium to get this great technology closer to commercialization,” she said.“Together, we are supporting jobs, diversifying the economy, and creating a brighter energy future where Alberta is a global leader in lithium production.”Lithium is a critical component of of batteries used in consumer electronics like cell phones and even EVs which are mandated to be 100% of sales under the federal government’s climate policies..The sense of urgency is compounded by the fact that North America has little to no lithium production of its own. More than 80% of the refined lithium concentrates used in products like cars and electronics are made in China.“Increased global demand for electric vehicles and battery storage are going to lead to Alberta having another resource to sell to the world. Our province has the expertise and the resources to extract lithium and meet this growing global demand,” added Energy Minister Brian Jean.“By using our legacy oil and gas infrastructure and know-how, we can create a new boom to fuel Alberta into the future, thanks to investment and innovation from companies like E3 Lithium.”.The problem is that lithium mining is extremely toxic to the environment and uses large amounts of land to be covered with evaporation ponds.E3’s process promises to extract the raw lithium carbonate without adding any additional water or creating any additional waste streams. After extracting the lithium from brine stored underground, it’s pumped back into disposal wells similar to what is common oilfield practice today.In 2023, E3 opened Alberta’s first lithium extraction facility near Olds, where it ran a pilot program to test different extraction methods. The new provincial funding delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) will be used to further prove this technology at the existing extraction facility.The project will help E3 study how its technology will perform on a small scale, helping to mitigate risks and provide important data on how much lithium can be produced annually for a future, full-scale commercial facility estimated to begin construction in 2026. E3 is the first company to lead this type of extraction project in Alberta.
Alberta could become a leading global supplier of critical minerals like lithium, wresting control of supply chains away from countries like China.Thanks to an abundance of depleted oil and gas wells, Alberta is home to one of the largest concentrations of lithium in oilfield waste water in the world. Now companies are looking to capitalize by extracting it from those same abandoned oil wells.On Thursday, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz was on hand to kickstart the development of a pilot project near Olds to commercialize what promises to be a vast resource with a $5 million grant to Calgary-based E3 Lithium from Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction fund — the industrial carbon tax — and tout what could become a new global industry. .E3’s partners include the University of Alberta and Imperial Oil “There is a critical minerals race happening worldwide, and Alberta is setting the pace. Home to Canada’s largest brine reserves, well-documented drill sites and a talented oil and gas workforce, (Alberta) is the best place for E3 Lithium to get this great technology closer to commercialization,” she said.“Together, we are supporting jobs, diversifying the economy, and creating a brighter energy future where Alberta is a global leader in lithium production.”Lithium is a critical component of of batteries used in consumer electronics like cell phones and even EVs which are mandated to be 100% of sales under the federal government’s climate policies..The sense of urgency is compounded by the fact that North America has little to no lithium production of its own. More than 80% of the refined lithium concentrates used in products like cars and electronics are made in China.“Increased global demand for electric vehicles and battery storage are going to lead to Alberta having another resource to sell to the world. Our province has the expertise and the resources to extract lithium and meet this growing global demand,” added Energy Minister Brian Jean.“By using our legacy oil and gas infrastructure and know-how, we can create a new boom to fuel Alberta into the future, thanks to investment and innovation from companies like E3 Lithium.”.The problem is that lithium mining is extremely toxic to the environment and uses large amounts of land to be covered with evaporation ponds.E3’s process promises to extract the raw lithium carbonate without adding any additional water or creating any additional waste streams. After extracting the lithium from brine stored underground, it’s pumped back into disposal wells similar to what is common oilfield practice today.In 2023, E3 opened Alberta’s first lithium extraction facility near Olds, where it ran a pilot program to test different extraction methods. The new provincial funding delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) will be used to further prove this technology at the existing extraction facility.The project will help E3 study how its technology will perform on a small scale, helping to mitigate risks and provide important data on how much lithium can be produced annually for a future, full-scale commercial facility estimated to begin construction in 2026. E3 is the first company to lead this type of extraction project in Alberta.
