Alberta’s first lithium pilot project opens
Canadian Press – OLDS, Alta. – Alberta got out of the starting gates in the global critical minerals race Thursday with the opening of the province’s first lithium extraction pilot project.
At his company’s site just east of the town of Olds in central Alberta, E3 Lithium CEO Chris Doornbos called the occasion the start of a “new era” for the province’s traditionally oil-and-gas-dominated economy. “Without forsaking our past, the lithium industry opens up a whole new industry, using our existing skill set,” Doornbos said.
“The opportunity to be a global leader, and to make Alberta a lithium jurisdiction, is really and truly here.” Lithium, a light metal, is in demand around the globe right now because it is a key component in electric vehicle batteries.
Currently, the world’s biggest lithium producers are Australia, Chile and China. However, it has long been known that Alberta is home to one of the world’s largest lithium deposits, located deep underground in the Leduc geological formation, which is also a major oil-and-gas producing area.
For the rest of this article: https://www.thestar.com/business/alberta-enters-global-lithium-race-with-opening-of-first-extraction-pilot-project/article_f9f02a28-6784-58f4-8f8d-c6602696d6fb.html