Engineering Posco, Anson Resources to Develop Direct Lithium Extraction Demo Unit in US

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Under a cooperation agreement signed between Posco Holdings and Anson Resources, both the companies will work together to develop and operate a DLE demonstration plant in the Green River region of Utah, U.S.

Seoul/South Korea – On June 10, Posco Holdings signed a cooperation agreement with Anson Resources, an Australian resource development company, at the Posco Center in Seoul to build and operate a DLE demonstration plant in the Green River region of Utah, U.S.

DLE is a technology that can economically produce lithium from low-concentration lithium brines. It is drawing significant attention as a next-generation core technology in the global lithium industry due to its higher recovery rate and shorter production period compared to traditional evaporation methods.

Under this cooperation agreement, Posco Holdings will verify the commercial viability of the technology across the entire process of designing, constructing, and operating the DLE demo plant in the U.S. Anson Resources will provide the site, infrastructure, and brine, while handling the overall permitting process for plant construction using its local network.

Posco Holdings has been developing DLE technology since 2016, accumulating expertise in process design and overall operations by conducting pilot tests on brines from various regions, including Argentine brines.

This demonstration is highly significant as it marks the first time Posco Holdings is validating its independently developed DLE technology in the global market, serving as a crucial starting point to confirm the commercial viability of next-generation lithium production technology. Furthermore, by proving its technological capability to secure economic feasibility even from low-grade resources, Posco Holdings is expected to further strengthen its technological edge in the global brine lithium development market. It is also anticipated to lay the groundwork for expanding its lithium business in North America and establish a stable lithium supply chain based on its proprietary technology.

Posco Holdings aims to complete and operate the demo plant by 2027 and plans to establish a foundation for commercialization by completing technology verification using actual brine by 2028. Lee Ju-tae, President of Posco Holdings, stated, “This demonstration is a strategic investment to preemptively secure next-generation technology and dominate the global lithium market. Based on our unrivaled technological competitiveness, we will further strengthen the competitiveness of our global lithium business, including in North America.”

Meanwhile, Posco Holdings is pursuing “preemptive acquisition of high-quality resources” along with “absolute technological superiority” as the group’s core growth strategies. By combining the acquisition of premier resources, such as Argentine lithium brines and Australian mines, with the development of next-generation lithium production technologies, the company plans to lead the realization of “Sojae-Boguk” (contributing to national development through materials) by strengthening its competitiveness in the global resource supply chain.

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