Lilac picks JordProxa for Great Salt Lake lithium plant

Lilac Solutions has chosen JordProxa to supply downstream conversion technology and equipment for its Phase 1 lithium carbonate facility at Utah’s Great Salt Lake, a move that advances the project toward a final investment decision expected later in 2026. The partnership follows pilot and FEL-3 testing that produced battery-grade lithium carbonate from Great Salt Lake brine.

Why it matters: - Lilac Solutions is moving its Great Salt Lake lithium project closer to construction and commercial production. - The project is designed to help expand U.S. lithium supply for battery materials. - The Phase 1 facility is expected to produce 5,000 tonnes per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate. - A Phase 2 expansion would raise total capacity to 20,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent.

What happened: - Lilac Solutions selected JordProxa as the technology and equipment partner for downstream conversion at the Phase 1 commercial lithium carbonate facility in Utah’s Great Salt Lake. - JordProxa will provide the technology and equipment package for the downstream conversion process, including performance guarantees. - The package will convert lithium sulfate eluate from Lilac’s ion exchange process into battery-grade lithium carbonate through evaporation, purification and crystallization. - The announcement comes after testing and basic engineering during the FEL-3 project phase. - During FEL-3, JordProxa processed eluate made directly from Great Salt Lake brine and produced battery-grade lithium carbonate. - Lilac said the project is on track to be among the first U.S. lithium brine projects to reach final investment decision.

The details: - The north arm of the Great Salt Lake is estimated to hold 1.4 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, making it one of the largest identified lithium resources in the United States. - The Phase 1 facility will sit on a 20-acre site on the lake shore in Box Elder County, Utah. - Lilac’s Gen 5 ion exchange technology will extract lithium from brine pumped directly from the lake. - The process returns lithium-depleted brine in equal volume and is designed as a non-consumptive process that does not lower lake water levels. - The project is expected to generate local tax revenues and royalties to support lake preservation and create jobs in Utah. - Lilac’s ion exchange media will be produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Fernley, Nevada, supporting a domestic supply chain for the extraction process. - In 2025, Lilac completed a seven-month pilot plant on the lake. - The pilot achieved 87% average lithium recovery on a high-sulfate brine containing 70 mg/L lithium. - Independent third-party analysis confirmed the technology performance and compliance with Lilac’s non-consumptive and non-contaminating process requirements. - Lilac recently selected Hatch as the EPCM partner for the Great Salt Lake project. - Lilac has also signed a binding 10-year take-or-pay offtake agreement with Traxys North America covering 100% of planned Phase 1 production. - Lilac has now secured the major contractors needed to advance the project toward construction.

Between the lines: - The JordProxa deal reduces technical risk by pairing Lilac’s extraction process with a downstream partner that already proved the conversion step during FEL-3 testing. - The project’s combination of domestic manufacturing, lake-preservation claims and offtake coverage suggests Lilac is trying to de-risk financing ahead of a final investment decision. - The focus on battery-grade output matters because downstream conversion often determines whether extracted lithium can move into commercial supply chains.

What's next: - Lilac is targeting a final investment decision later in 2026. - First lithium production from Phase 1 is planned for 2028. - If Phase 2 moves forward, the project would expand total capacity to 20,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent. - Lilac and its contractors will now move deeper into the construction-readiness phase.

The bottom line: - Lilac has lined up its main project partners, tested the process on Great Salt Lake brine and moved one step closer to building a U.S. lithium carbonate plant.