Select Water Solutions and LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners have entered into a definitive agreement to develop commercial lithium carbonate production facilities in the Midland Basin, Texas. The project will be executed in three stages, with the first facility expected to begin operations by December 2026. This initial site will be located at Select’s existing facility in Howard County and is designed to produce up to 1,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year for U.S. customers.
The agreement specifies that LibertyStream will fund, design, construct, and operate the facilities. Select will provide its water treatment expertise and pipeline infrastructure to manage produced water streams needed for lithium extraction. In exchange, Select will receive a royalty on lithium carbonate production.
John Schmitz, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Select Water Solutions, stated: “This project leverages Select’s market leading infrastructure network while unlocking the resource value inherent in the large volumes of produced water that move through it each day. By integrating lithium extraction into our existing water platform, we are creating meaningful incremental value from assets already in place. This is precisely the type of multiuse infrastructure initiative that supports our long-term growth strategy and enhances the durability of our profitability.”
Alex Wylie, President & CEO of LibertyStream, commented: “We have made tremendous progress scaling our lithium extraction and carbonate refining processes in the Permian Basin over the past 18 months. We have been preparing for commercial production throughout the past year, and we are excited to partner with Select—an organization with the experience, infrastructure, and operational reach needed to unlock the vast lithium resource contained in Permian Basin oilfield brines.”
Site preparation for the first facility is set to start in March 2026. Full construction is planned for later in the second quarter of 2026. Following this stage, LibertyStream aims to commission a second facility by June 2027 with similar capacity. A third phase starting July 2027 includes at least two more facilities across several counties.
Select’s water recycling systems are expected to lower both capital and operating costs for LibertyStream’s operations by eliminating major pre-treatment steps required for direct lithium extraction.
O’Melveny & Myers LLP advised LibertyStream on this transaction. The legal team was led by partner Jason Schumacher and associate Luke Ohnmeis.
Select Water Solutions provides sustainable water and chemical solutions for energy companies using its infrastructure assets across Texas (https://www.selectwater.com). LibertyStream focuses on producing lithium carbonate from oilfield brine using proprietary technology (https://www.LibertyStream.com).
Forward-looking statements regarding this partnership note potential risks related to global economic conditions, supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical conflicts such as those involving Russia-Ukraine or Israel-Gaza regions, actions by OPEC+, changes in U.S. trade policies or environmental regulations affecting oilfield activities, as well as advances in well-completion technologies or practices.
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