Path to commercialization this year
Arizona Lithium, now Prairie Lithium, outlined an updated three-phase commercial development plan for its Prairie Lithium Project in Saskatchewan's Williston Basin, announced in early February 2025. Phase I, with construction commencing in the second quarter of 2025 at Pad #1, targets 150 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate equivalent from a commercial-scale direct lithium extraction unit processing around 1,000 cubic metres of brine daily, at a capital cost of approximately AUD $35 million.
Phase II involves modularised scale-up on Pad #1 with additional DLE units and wells, while Phase III replicates the design across Pad #2, Pad #3 and further locations being finalised through 2025. Grey Owl Engineering, a Western Canadian oil and gas facilities specialist, is engineering partner, with battery-grade lithium carbonate aimed at Asian battery markets. Managing director Paul Lloyd described 2025 as 'a year of facility construction and commissioning Phase I'.