ExxonMobil completes appraisal drilling in quest to become leading lithium supplier

Exxon Mobil Corp. has completed the appraisal drilling phase of its plan to produce lithium from saltwater brine in the Smackover formation in southwest Arkansas. 

Over the course of 6 months, the company has drilled 8 wells with over 82,000 total ft drilled and collected about 1,000 ft of core samples, said Dan Ammann, ExxonMobil president low-carbon solutions, in a post to his LinkedIn account Aug. 7.

The operator plans to become a major producer of lithium for batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) and other rechargeable products, he said.

“We’ll use the information we gathered to refine our plan to extract lithium from brine reservoirs thousands of feet below ground. Our process – similar to traditional oil and gas drilling – would have a much smaller environmental footprint than how most lithium is made today [hard-rock mining],” he continued.

In November 2023, ExxonMobil said it was working with local and state officials to enable a scale-up of the lithium industry in the state and aims to become a leading supplier of lithium by 2030 (OGJ Online, Nov. 14, 2023).

The company holds about 120,000 gross acres in the Smackover formation and is targeting first production in 2027.