Calgary-headquartered E3 Lithium has secured a brownfield site in Mountain View County for its Clearwater project’s central processing facility, which will be Alberta’s and western Canada’s first lithium production campus.
The site is the former Dyck Gravel Pit, and its land site is well situated for infrastructure, including accessible utilities and roadways, to support development. Both the county and E3 Lithium share the goal of limiting new disturbances in the area, and the acquisition of a brownfield site offers a unique opportunity to repurpose industrial land in order to help reduce overall project disturbance.
The former gravel pit east of Olds will host the central facility itself, where brine will be collected, lithium will be extracted and battery-grade lithium salts will be produced. The end user will be the North American battery supply chain.
“The site is located adjacent to major power infrastructure and close to secondary highways and rail lines,” the company said. “As operations to produce lithium will be very similar to well-established energy industry operations, E3 Lithium is excited to engage Alberta’s skilled local workforce for drilling, construction and operations roles as the company progresses the development of the Clearwater project.”
The Clearwater project will be a catalyst for the lithium industry in Alberta by enabling broader expansion of lithium production across E3 Lithium’s other project areas, and the province of Alberta, according to E3. Also, as the province boasts significant lithium resources, the company is taking steps that will enable Alberta to play a key role in the onshoring of lithium in Canada and North America, contributing to the global supply shortage of battery-grade lithium products.
A phase 1 commercial environmental assessment has been completed for the site and detected no material environmental concerns.
“We have a significant opportunity to build the Clearwater Project in an ideal location; repurposing an existing industrial site fits into the vision for E3,” said Chris Doornbos, President and CEO, noting it optioned the land from the county itself.
Source: e3lithium.ca