Smackover Lithium Assesses Potential of Texas Brine Mine at 70,000 Tonnes Per Year

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Written by Paul Wiseman for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Industrial Info Resources is tracking three Texas projects with total investment value (TIV) of $4.4 billion (almost $3.5 billion of which is in Smackover Lithium's Franklin Mine), and four Arkansas projects with TIV of $3.6 billion.

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(Almost) Everything's Bigger in Texas

On September 8, Smackover Lithium announced that a preliminary assessment of its Franklin, Texas, lithium mine project could possibly yield Up to 70,000 tonnes per year of battery-quality lithium carbonate. The study also showed that the Franklin Lithium Brine Mine and Processing Plant's source area has "some of the highest lithium-in-brine concentrations reported in North America," according to the company. The Industrial Info Resources Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database offers a detailed project report.

The press release announcing the study added that initial production could begin in the early 2030s. The study projected sees average yearly production of 65,000 tonnes lasting about 20 years, with the possibility of adding more production with extended life as things go along.

Smackover Lithium is a partnership between Standard Lithium and its subsidiaries and Norway-based energy company Equinor, also through subsidiaries.

The project is Smackover Lithium's first foray into the Texas side of the Smackover Formation, which also includes southwest Arkansas. The project marks the biggest lithium mining investment in either state, according to Industrial Info Resources data.

Industrial Info Resources is tracking three Texas projects with total investment value (TIV) of $4.4 billion (almost $3.5 billion of which are part of Smackover Lithium's Franklin Lithium Brine Mine), and four Arkansas projects with TIV of $3.6 billion. A distant second to Smackover Lithium is Standard Lithium's Lewisville South West Arkansas Lithium Brine Mine and Chemical Plant, with TIV of just under $1.5 billion.

Welcome to Jurassic Park

The exact extent of the Smackover is hard to pin down, but parts of this Jurassic-era limestone aquifer and mineral treasure trove cross six Gulf Coast states. Along with Texas and Arkansas, it touches Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Regarding viable lithium reserves, it's much smaller. The U.S. Geological Survey in 2024 estimated the portion in just southwest Arkansas to contain 5 to 19 million tons of lithium--being careful to point out that its survey did not evaluate what was economically or technically recoverable. It also did not include any of the formation's also-viable Texas side.

Smackover Lithium's Texas leasehold encompasses 30,994 hectares (76,588 acres), according to its press release.

At least a small part of the Smackover has been important in mining and extraction before. In 1925, the formation's 68-square-mile Smackover Oil Field led the U.S. in oil production, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. That resource played out a couple of decades ago, but the larger region's lithium resources have led to a resurgence in recent years, especially with the emerging focus on batteries and renewable energy.

Across State Lines

Until the Franklin project, Arkansas was leading Texas in lithium investment. Without that one, the TIV for Texas's portion of the formation would be just under $1 billion, less than a third that of the Arkansas amount. But overall, both sides have seen significant investment.

And Equinor is not the only oil company investing in Smackover, on either side of the line. For more information, see September 9, 2026, article - Black Gold to White Gold: U.S. Oil Industry Invests in Lithium notes that Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) have also invested there.

Lithium Prices--from Glut to Glory

Another factor boosting Smackover interest, at least in 2026, is the rising price of lithium on the open market. In truth, tracking recent commodity prices for lithium is somewhat akin to riding on the back of a raging Tyrannosaurus rex.

In 2025, said the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries, the annual average U.S. fixed-contract price for lithium carbonate was around $9,000 per ton. That was 31% less than the 2024 price.

Matching supply to the growing demand has been a challenge in recent years. Prices in 2025 dropped because of a supply glut. But in 2026, lepidolite (a sources of lithium ore) mines in China and hard-rock operations in Australia had both scaled back production, raising the price.

That change was among the factors that tripled the price from a low of $8,000 per ton in May of 2025 to more than $25,000 per ton 12 months later, according to Fastmarkets data as reported by the Investing News Network.

By the Numbers

• $4.4 Billion: TIV of Texas grassroot lithium brine projects Industrial Info Resources is tracking
• $3.6 Billion: TIV of Arkansas grassroot lithium brine projects Industrial Info Resources is tracking

Key Takeaways

• While the Arkansas side of the Smackover Formation has more grassroot lithium projects in process, a single project on the Texas side dwarfs all others.
• Smackover as a whole is drawing national interest for its potential to supply the battery industry with a key mineral.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).