Connect with us

Arkansas

Exclusive: Exxon aims to begin lithium production by 2026 in Arkansas

Published

on

Exclusive: Exxon aims to begin lithium production by 2026 in Arkansas


Nov 11 (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) is set to unveil its long-awaited lithium strategy on Monday with an announcement that it aims to start production of the electric vehicle (EV) battery metal in Arkansas by 2026, according to a source with direct knowledge of the oil major’s plans.

Exxon’s expansion into the sector comes as emerging technologies aim to boost global production of the ultralight metal by filtering it from salty brine deposits found across the globe and supplying it to battery makers eager for fresh sources.

Exxon, which invented the lithium-ion battery in the 1970s but stepped away from the technology, plans to begin producing at least 10,000 metric tons per year of lithium in Arkansas by 2026 with partner Tetra Technologies (TTI.N) in what has been labeled “Project Evergreen,” according to the source.

Advertisement

That initial production would be roughly equivalent to the amount needed to produce 100,000 EV batteries.

Reuters reported this year that Exxon had agreed to develop more than 6,100 lithium-rich acres in Arkansas with Tetra, which produces chemicals for water treatment and recycling.

Exxon has been drilling wells in Arkansas this year to study the vast Smackover Formation, a geological formation stretching from Florida to Texas that teems with lithium- and bromine-rich brine. The company has also been testing unproven direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology that will be crucial for commercial operations, according to the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

An Exxon spokesperson declined to comment. A representative for Tetra was not immediately available to comment.

For Exxon and other oil companies, lithium production offers the prospect of selling a new product with relatively little added cost. Darren Woods, Exxon CEO since 2017, told investors during a call on Oct. 4 that the lithium sector was “fairly promising.”

Advertisement

He also said: “We see an opportunity to really leverage the things that we’re pretty good at.”

Exxon, like other fossil fuel producers, has faced pressure to reduce carbon emissions from operations. Reuters reported this year that Exxon shareholder Engine No. 1 had pressured the company to deploy DLE.

Exxon is not expected to publicly announce which DLE technology it has chosen, according to the source. The company has a long-standing pattern of not disclosing some vendors.

Reuters reported this year that Exxon and Chevron (CVX.N) held talks with International Battery Metals (IBAT.CD) and EnergySource Minerals about licensing DLE technology.

OTHER ACREAGE

Separate from its Tetra partnership, Exxon also controls more than 100,000 acres in Arkansas from which it plans to begin lithium production by 2027, according to the source.

Advertisement

Exxon acquired that acreage this year from privately held Galvanic Energy, Reuters reported.

It was not clear whether Exxon plans to expand lithium operations outside Arkansas. Like all oil producers, Exxon extracts water containing traces of lithium as part of fossil fuel production. That could help the oil industry morph into the world’s largest lithium supplier, if DLE technologies can be commercialized.

Exxon, like Albemarle (ALB.N), Standard Lithium (SLI.V) and others aiming to produce the battery metal in Arkansas, face a key regulatory roadblock. The southern U.S. state, just north of Louisiana, has a royalty structure for bromine, which Albemarle has long produced there, but not for lithium, which could delay development in the short term.

The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, which overseas lithium operations in the state, has said it plans to hold hearings on the matter.

Exxon plans to send at least six representatives to the Benchmark Minerals conference next week in Los Angeles, according to an attendance list seen by Reuters. It would mark the company’s first attendance at the major critical minerals conference.

Advertisement

Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; editing by Caroline Humer and David Gregorio

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Ernest Scheyder is an award-winning senior correspondent covering the green energy transition and the minerals that undergird it. He is also the author of a forthcoming book about the global fight over where, how, and why these minerals are produced. He previously covered the U.S. shale oil revolution, politics, and the environment.
Contact: +1-469-691-7667



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Arkansas

Herron’s no-hitter gives UA best start | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

on

Herron’s no-hitter gives UA best start | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


Robyn Herron capped the University of Arkansas softball team’s undefeated stay in Ruston, La., by tossing the program’s 12th no-hitter Sunday.

No. 13 Arkansas (10-0) defeated Louisiana-Monroe 10-0 in five innings, powered by Herron’s dominant performance in the circle. The win gave the Razorbacks their best start to a season in program history.

Herron (3-0) struck out 11 batters and threw 49 of 71 pitches for strikes. She lowered her season ERA to 0.74 over 19 innings pitched.

“It was really, really nice to wrap up the weekend with that,” Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said. “She was just really dialed in. It was a really good matchup but then her stuff was working and she was in really good control. It was a really good ending to a really great weekend.”

Advertisement

The Warhawks (2-7) drew walks and another reached on a wild pitch after striking out swinging. But aside from that, Louisiana-Monroe had no answer for the left-handed junior from Tampa, Fla.

It was the second collegiate no-hitter for Herron, who pitched a perfect game against Illinois State on Feb. 24, 2024. Herron’s two no-hitters are second most in program history behind Mary Haff, who tossed three in her career from 2018-22.

“It was really exciting,” Herron said. “I love to compete, and I love that my defense backed me up and I had so many runs to just pitch freely. It was very fun.”

Arkansas’ batters provided all the support Herron would need with eight runs in the second.

Kailey Wyckoff hit a double down the right-field line with the bases loaded to open the scoring at 2-0. Wyckoff went 3 for 4 with two RBI.

Advertisement

Warhawks starting right-hander Dakota Lake (2-2) continued to run into trouble in the inning. She hit Ella McDowell with a pitch to load the bases before walking Bri Ellis and Courtney Day to extend the Arkansas lead to 4-0.

Victoria Abrams replaced Lake then gave up consecutive two-RBI doubles to Raigan Kramer and Atalyia Rijo.

Rijo had an impressive weekend at the plate, batting 8 for 14 (.571) with 1 home run, 5 doubles and 8 RBI. She was 2 for 3 against Sunday against Louisiana-Monroe.

“She’s been really, really grinding on both sides, and so we saw that this weekend,” Deifel said of Rijo. “She’s just seeing the ball really well right now and just trusting her timing and putting really good swings on pitches. And even the ones she’s missing, I mean, she’s just putting her swing on the pitches that she’s hunting, and there’s lots to be said for that.”

The Razorbacks pushed their lead to 10-0 in the third inning with a run-scoring single by Wyckoff and an RBI flyout by Ellis.

Advertisement

Herron protected the lead and struck out all three batters she faced in the fifth inning to end the game. The Razorbacks pulled out run-rule victories in all five of their games over the weekend.

By sweeping a doubleheader Sunday — the Razorbacks beat Southern Miss 12-3 in five innings earlier in the day — Arkansas won its first 10 games of a season for the first time.

“We obviously know that one’s coming at some point,” Deifel said. “But I think when a team goes out there and just tries to play their level of softball and just really control what they can control, good things can happen and will happen.

“I think I have liked that more than anything, is they’re not going out worried about winning or losing. They’re just going out worried about playing Razorback softball. That’s what we’re seeing right now.”

Ellis hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to highlight Arkansas’ victory over Southern Miss early Sunday.

Advertisement

Her seventh home run of the season pushed her batting average to .609 with 14 hits, 3 doubles and 22 RBI. Ellis extended her commanding lead for active career home runs in Division I with 55.

“She can just do damage every time she steps in the box and that is the mindset that she is in right now,” Deifel said. “It is just getting in the box and hunting for her pitch and putting a big swing on it.

“She is obviously seeing the ball really well right now, but she’s worked for this, and this is who Bri is. It is just nice to see her do that.”

Arkansas will put its unbeaten record to the test next weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, which will include games against No. 4 UCLA and No. 23 Baylor. The Razorbacks will begin their stay in Cathedral City, Calif., with a game against Rutgers at 11:30 a.m. Central on Thursday.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Arkansas

Iredale hits 2 HRs; Hogs secure series | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

on

Iredale hits 2 HRs; Hogs secure series | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas third baseman Brent Iredale hit two home runs and led the fifth-ranked Razorbacks to a 5-2 victory over Washington State on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Iredale tied the game 2-2 with a 391-foot home run to left field in the fourth inning and gave Arkansas a 3-2 lead with a 401-foot blast to left in the sixth.

“For a while there he was about all the offense we had rolling,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said, “and then some of the guys kicked it in later there.”

Wehiwa Aloy added a 414-foot home run to left in the eighth to give the Razorbacks some breathing room. Aloy’s first home run of the season scored Charles Davalan, who led off with a double, and made the score 5-2.

Advertisement

Following a single by Logan Maxwell and a walk by Iredale, Arkansas (3-0) loaded the bases in the eighth when Nolan Souza drew a two-out walk. The Razorbacks stranded three when pinch hitter Ryder Helfrick bounced into a force play at second base.

Van Horn said the team “didn’t play great” and mentioned mistakes in his postgame remarks, but added, “At the same time, we’re finding ways to win and we’re getting to see a lot of pitching this weekend.”

Freshman right-hander Carson Wiggins made his anticipated Arkansas debut in the ninth inning and worked around a two-out double by Ollie Obenour. Wiggins struck out Will Cresswell swinging at a 3-2 fastball to end the game.

Wiggins, who was a top 100 draft prospect last year by Baseball America, closed the game well. Sixteen of his 20 pitches were fastballs that averaged a velocity of 99.1 mph.

Advertisement

“I thought he threw good,” Van Horn said. “Most of them were right around the plate. Even his misses were close.”

The Cougars (0-3) stranded base runners in scoring position five times, including at third base in the second, sixth and seventh innings.

Ricco Longo grounded out to third base to strand Max Hartman, who hit a leadoff single, against Arkansas right-hander Dylan Carter in the sixth. Left-hander Parker Coil replaced Carter with two outs in the seventh and got Jonah Shull to ground out to strand Ryan Skjonsby, who hit a leadoff double.

Coil struck out Logan Johnstone to strand a runner at second base in the eighth.

Advertisement

“We put ourselves in a position to try to score, but I think it’s OK to sometimes tip your cap to your opponent,” Washington State Coach Nathan Choate said. “I thought the guys at Arkansas did a good job and they have good stuff, and they’re a pretty good pitching staff. We kept trying to apply pressure. We just couldn’t get the swing when we needed it, and they got two swings later in the game when they needed it. It seemed like that was the difference.”

The Razorbacks’ bullpen pitched four innings of scoreless relief without a walk. Carter was credited with a 1 2/3-inning win and Wiggins earned his first save.

Right-handed starters Gage Wood of Arkansas and Luke Meyers of Washington State each allowed two runs in their five-inning starts.

Kendall Diggs led off the bottom of the second inning with a double and scored on Zane Becker’s double to center field against Meyers to give the Razorbacks a 1-0 lead.

Washington State took a 2-1 lead against Wood in the top of the fourth. Johnstone drew a out-out walk and scored on Longo’s triple to center field.

Advertisement

Davalan, Arkansas’ center fielder, took a bad route to the ball that turned a likely single into a triple for Longo. He scored on Skjonsby’s sacrifice fly to left in the next at-bat.

Iredale homered on Meyers’ second pitch of the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 2-2. His second home run came on a 1-2 off-speed pitch by left-handed reliever Jake Tedesco with one out in the sixth inning.

Iredale, an Australia native who transferred to Arkansas from New Mexico Junior College, has been the star of the opening weekend. He is 6 for 9 with 2 walks and 7 RBI.

He nearly homered twice Friday and had the sacrifice fly that scored the game-winning run in the 10th inning of the 3-2 victory in the season opener.

“Every game I’m trying to make the best swings I can and make good contact,” Iredale said. “If I see a pitch I like, I’m just going to try and hit it as hard as I can.”

Advertisement

Wood struck out 7, allowed 2 hits and walked 1 during his 77-pitch start. He threw 48 pitches for strikes.

“I thought Gage had good stuff,” Van Horn said. “He really didn’t have his breaking ball today, and he did it mostly with a fastball and the cutter, so that was impressive. He gets that breaking ball going and it would have been a really good day for him.”

Meyers struck out 3 and allowed 4 hits and 1 walk. He threw 49 of 86 pitches for strikes in his Division I debut. Meyers was a junior college All-American at Central Arizona College last season.

“There’s a couple of pitches that he would like back, but I thought he went out there and was aggressive and attacked and changed speeds pretty good,” Choate said.

Tedesco took the loss in a three-inning relief stint. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Advertisement

Arkansas won the series and can sweep with a victory at noon Monday.



Source link

Continue Reading

Arkansas

Texas A&M vs Arkansas live score updates, highlights, how to watch SEC matchup

Published

on

Texas A&M vs Arkansas live score updates, highlights, how to watch SEC matchup


Texas A&M men’s basketball is looking to complete back-to-back home victories this week in pursuit of their fifth consecutive win.

On Tuesday night The Aggies handled the Bulldogs and now welcome a well-coached Razorbacks team to Reed Arena, who is continuing to fight for the right to play in next month’s NCAA tournament. A&M appears to be a tournament lock themselves, but as they move forward in the final seven regular season games, the Aggies are hoping to play their way into one-seed contention.

Texas A&M (19-5, 8-3) enters the matchup 11-1 at home this season, while Arkansas (15-9, 4-7) has been a middling 3-3 in road contests but comes into Saturday’s game winners in three of their last four.

Advertisement

WATCH MULTIPLE TEXAS A&M GAMES HERE

The Aggies and Razorbacks are set for an early tip-off in front of a national audience in what should be another thrilling SEC matchup.

Stay tuned for updates from the action:

Texas A&M vs Arkansas live updates

The Aggies have kept pace and held their slim margin, leading into the final media timeout of the first half. Phelps has led the way with seven points while also leading the team in rebounds with five. Razorbacks forward Knox leads all scorers with nine.

At the third media timeout, Buzz Williams and A&M appear to like their matchup against Zvonimir Ivisic. They’ve been unafraid to attack the big in the paint and have succeeded thus far.

Advertisement

The flip has been switched, and the Aggies have woken up from their slow start. A 9-0 run causes the Razorbacks to burn a timeout. Phelps got the scoring started with a tough two-pointer in the paint, followed by a three the next time down the floor.

It’s been a slow and choppy start for A&M thus far as the Aggies enter the first media timeout with 0 points, shooting 0-for-7 from the field. A&M has racked up three personal fouls and three turnovers.

Texas A&M starting lineup

  • G – Zhuric Phelps
  • G – Manny Obaseki
  • G – Wade Taylor IV
  • F – Henry Coleman III
  • F – Pharrel Payne

Arkansas’ starting lineup

  • G – Johnell Davis
  • G – D.J. Wagner
  • F – Adou Thiero
  • F – Karter Knox
  • F – Zvonimir Ivisic

When does Texas A&M play Arkansas?

Time: 11 a.m.

Date: Feb. 15.

Location: Reed Arena in College Station

Advertisement

How to watch, listen to Texas A&M vs Arkansas on Saturday?

TV channel: ESPN

Online: Fubo, ESPN+

Radio: 1370 AM.

Texas A&M men’s basketball and Arkansas will be broadcast and streamed on ESPN. Other streaming options for the game include ESPN and Fubo.

Reach Texas A&M Beat Reporter Tony Catalina via email at ACatalina@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending