Making progress on lithium … and making a difference

ExxonMobil is making fast progress on the landmark lithium plan we announced just three months ago. And we’ve created a new $100,000 endowment to support the communities in southwest Arkansas where we’re working. 

Those were among the messages Patrick Howarth delivered to the standing-room-only crowd at the state’s first Lithium Innovation Summit in downtown Little Rock. 

“We have an opportunity to establish a new foundational industry here in Arkansas,” said Patrick, who is the Lithium Global Business Manager for our Low Carbon Solutions business, which announced in November its plans to become a leading producer of lithium for electric vehicle batteries – by extracting it from brine deep underground southwest Arkansas. 

We’ve already built a leading acreage position in the state, drilled numerous appraisal wells, conducted extensive engineering and design work, and engaged with our global customer base and local communities. 

“And I’m proud to say we’ve produced battery-grade lithium from a pilot in Houston,” Patrick said. “We’ve been busy!” 

The method we’ll use to produce lithium in Arkansas is expected to have much less environmental impact than how most lithium is produced today. It’s also very similar to the oil and gas drilling we've honed over decades.

Patrick emphasized that ExxonMobil’s technical expertise – plus our financial strength and global scale – makes us uniquely qualified to scale up lithium in Arkansas. First production is planned for 2027.