T5 Smackover Partners develops geothermal projects in the Texas Smackover basin to provide baseload renewable power while extracting critical minerals such as lithium, magnesium, potassium, strontium, and bromine. Their vertically integrated model combines high‑temperature brine wells with a closed‑loop direct lithium extraction process, aiming to supply clean energy to grids and EV battery markets and secure domestic mineral supply chains.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Current baseload power generation relies heavily on fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases and create supply chain vulnerabilities, while domestic sources of critical minerals like lithium are limited, leading to dependence on foreign imports for EV batteries and energy storage.
Solution
T5 Smackover Partners leverages the high‑temperature geothermal brine reservoirs of Texas’s Smackover Formation to generate renewable baseload electricity and simultaneously extract high‑purity lithium, magnesium, potassium, and bromine through a closed‑loop direct lithium extraction (DLE) process. The vertically integrated model drills geothermal wells, produces 24/7 power with >75% capacity factor, and recirculates brine for mineral recovery, minimizing water use and land impact. Extracted minerals are sold to automakers, battery manufacturers, and industrial users, creating a domestic supply chain for critical materials. Long‑term offtake agreements secure revenue streams for both power and minerals, while modular expansion across the acreage enables scalable growth beyond 2030. This approach delivers clean, reliable energy and domestic critical mineral production, supporting U.S. energy independence and decarbonization goals.
Target Audience
Primary customers are utilities and large‑scale energy users seeking reliable renewable power, as well as EV manufacturers, battery producers, and industrial firms requiring domestic sources of lithium and other critical minerals.
Features
- Geothermal wells tapping brine reservoirs with some of the highest temperatures and lithium concentrations in North America
- Continuous baseload power generation with >75% utilization, outperforming intermittent wind and solar sources
- Closed‑loop direct lithium extraction (DLE) that isolates lithium, magnesium, potassium, and bromine while reinjecting treated water to prevent land degradation
- Production of battery‑grade lithium and other high‑purity minerals suitable for EV and energy‑storage applications
- Modular project design allowing phased deployment of ~10 wells across 10,000 acres and future scaling across the Smackover acreage
- Strategic long‑term power and mineral offtake contracts with utilities, automakers, and battery manufacturers
- Integrated sustainability practices, including recycled water use and minimal surface footprint