Pure Energy Minerals Ltd. [TSXV-PE; OTCQB-PEMIF] reported progress at the Clayton Valley lithium brine project (CV Project) located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Pure Energy entered into a partnership with SLB [NYSE-SLB] to sustainably develop at scale lithium claims held by Pure Energy in the Clayton Valley.
SLB has deployed a demonstration plant onsite to test an integrated approach that combines subsurface expertise and surface engineering of advanced technologies, including direct lithium extraction (DLE).
The important advances made on the project include: application for, and receipt of, final permits from government agencies for the construction and operation of the demonstration plant; completion of plant construction; and start technical trials, which are ongoing.
The sustainable lithium production demonstration plant is located 5 km southeast of the town of Silver Peak, Nevada, on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Pure Energy holds 950 BLM mineral claims in the Clayton Valley area.
The project received all necessary permits from the State of Nevada and the Nevada Division of Water Resources for the demonstration plant construction and water discharge in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Construction was largely completed by Q3 of 2023.
“SLB’s demonstration plant represents a significant step toward sustainable lithium brine production at scale. The ongoing technical trials at the facility give us increased confidence that SLB’s integrated approach is the future for lithium brine extraction in Clayton Valley and elsewhere,” stated Joseph Mullin, Pure Energy’s CEO.
Pure Energy consolidated a pre-eminent land position at its Clayton Valley Project in the Clayton Valley of central Nevada for the exploration and development of lithium resources, comprising 950 claims over 23,360 acres (9,450 hectares), representing the largest land holdings in the valley.
Pure Energy’s strategic partner, SLB, is operator of the Clayton Valley Project. In May of 2019, Pure Energy and SLB signed an Earn-In agreement over the CV Project which requires significant investment by SLB in the Project, to include the design and construction of a pilot plant capable of processing lithium-bearing brines for high-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate or (LiOH∙H2O) and/or lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) products at a specified rate.
On January 3, 2019, the Nevada Division of Water Resources approved and granted a Finite Term Water Right to Pure Energy, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Esmeralda Minerals LLC, for the extraction of up to 50 acre-feet of brine during a 5-year period from the CV properties.
The Finite Term Water Right was renewed in January, 2024, and is deemed sufficient for brine testing requirements and SLB’s pilot plant facility. In July of 2020, the CV-09 well was completed pursuant to the Finite Term Water Right, and results of initial sampling were published by Pure Energy on October 14, 2020. On March 28, 2023, Pure Energy announced that all permits were in place for the construction and operation of the DLE Pilot Plant, and SLB confirmed that construction was underway.
