TETRA Eyes Bromine Buildout, Expects Years-Long Demand Growth

---

Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

---

Summary

TETRA's decision to bolster its role in the global bromine market shows how the resource remains crucial to numerous industries, including deepwater drilling.

---

Arkansas Offers Golden Opportunity

While not as widely discussed as copper or lithium, bromine has a wide variety of applications across multiple industries, including deepwater drilling, battery-energy storage, and water desalination. TETRA Technologies Incorporated sees an opportunity in the sector, and is preparing for a major U.S.-based buildout. According to Industrial Info Resources data, TETRA is involved in more than $800 million worth of active and proposed projects across North America and Europe, the bulk of which involve developing bromine or lithium.

Last week, TETRA's board approved the final investment decision (FID) for the remaining construction on its Evergreen Bromine Brine Mine & Extraction Plant in Buckner, Arkansas. Brady Murphy, the chief executive officer of TETRA, said in a recent quarterly earnings-related conference call that he expects bromine demand for deepwater completion fluids and electrolytes in battery-storage to drive demand for the resource over the coming years.

The Evergreen project started construction in December and "continues to proceed on time and on budget," according to a TETRA press release. The $220 million FID applies to construction from now through final completion of the project, which is expected in early 2028. Murphy and other executives expects Evergreen's annual bromine output to total 75 million pounds, "more than double our existing long-term third-party supply agreement."

Altogether, TETRA owns mineral rights to about 40,000 acres of brine leases in southwest Arkansas, which contain high levels of extractable bromine. The company believes the Evergreen development "provides significant synergies for potential future development of lithium and magnesium resources from the same brine." TETRA is weighing an expansion of the facility following completion that would include a lithium-processing plant, although this proposal remains in its early stages.

Industrial Info Resources offers more information on the Evergreen development in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant and Project databases, where readers can find details--including key contacts, investment values and necessary equipment--in a plant profile and project reports on the ongoing construction and the proposed expansion.

On the magnesium front, TETRA is the 49% owner of a magnesium smelter development in Stamps, Arkansas, which is 51% owned by metal-technology startup Magrathea Metals Incorporated. To be located near the Evergreen plant, the smelter is designed to produce up to 1.54 million pounds per year, with a proposed expansion under consideration. Readers can learn more from a plant profile and detailed reports on Phase I and Phase II.

By the Numbers

• More than $800 million: Total investment value of active and proposed projects featuring TETRA Technologies
• 75 million pounds: Total annual output expected at the Evergreen development, not include a proposed expansion
• More than 50%: The Middle East's share of the global bromine supply

China Leads in Investments

Regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Murphy does not expect an overall negative impact on TETRA's financial results. While the region accounts for more than 50% of the global bromine supply, it only makes up about 5% of the company's revenues.

"Activity in our core business regions of the U.S., Europe, and Latin America will likely offset any reductions that may occur in our Middle East business. This applies to our supply chain as well, since all of our chemical manufacturing plants are located in the U.S. and Europe, and our elemental bromine is sourced from Arkansas, which is also the location of our critical minerals resources."

Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than $1.6 billion worth of active and proposed bromine-production projects worldwide, nearly 60% of which is in China. Tangshan, a coastal city in the Hebei province, is set to become home to the nation's largest seawater bromine production facility, at the Caofeidian Steel & Power Industrial Park. Under construction since 2024, the plant is expected to produce 3,000 tonnes (or 6.6 million pounds) of bromine every year. Readers can learn more from a plant profile and a detailed project report.

The Industrial Info Resources GMI Project and Plant databases offer a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and a full list of related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources also offers full lists of reports for active and proposed TETRA projects and bromine projects worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than $1.6 billion worth of bromine-production projects worldwide.
• TETRA's Evergreen development in Arkansas could significantly boost its role in global bromine production.
• China remains a dominant force in the global bromine market.

---

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 verified plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).