Lithium Universe has assessed a proposed second lithium refinery location in the U.S.
The company said senior members of its executive team completed a detailed site visit at the proposed second lithium refinery location in Brownsville, Texas.
The team members examined factors such as land configuration, infrastructure readiness and labour supply.
The team also met with port officials, utilities providers and other local stakeholders to confirm the project’s fit with the region’s industrial framework.
The visit marks another step in advancing the company’s binational lithium refining platform across Canada and the U.S., designed to close the lithium conversion gap and provide long-term processing capacity for the critical minerals sectors.
Lithium Universe Chairman Iggy Tan said: “The proposed Brownsville U.S. site has demonstrated all the critical characteristics we look for, land availability, logistics strength, industrial readiness, and expansion capacity.
“The visit allowed us to confirm that a full copy-and-paste of our Bécancour design is not only potentially feasible but also commercially compelling.
“As the U.S. accelerates its commitment to domestic critical-minerals supply chains, we see exceptional strategic value in establishing our second refinery here.”
Lithium Universe said the site visit builds on the company’s earlier strategic review work and complements the progress already underway at the flagship Bécancour lithium refinery project in Québec, Canada.
The proposed second lithium refinery aims to operate in parallel with the Bécancour project, forming a refining network capable of delivering up to two full trains of lithium-carbonate production in each location.
The U.S. site could replicate the Bécancour design envelope, with only minor regional adaptations required.
The U.S. site would require modifications primarily focused on hurricane resilience, stormwater management and extreme-weather preparedness.
Lithium Universe will now advance into the formal lease application phase for the Brownsville site and initiate a scoping study for an 18,270 tpa battery-grade lithium carbonate refinery at Brownsville.