Little Rock hosted the second annual Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit at the Statehouse Convention Center Oct. 28 and 29. The summit brought together industry leaders, state and local government and representatives from the education sector to provide actionable insights about the future of the lithium industry in south Arkansas.
“Just 18 months ago, we hosted the inaugural summit. Then, we believed the potential was significant, and today, the energy in this room is electric because what was once potential is rapidly solidifying into reality,” said Hugh McDonald, Arkansas secretary of commerce, who opened the summit. “We’re here because Arkansas is no longer just talking about the future of lithium. We’re actually building it.”
He was followed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who discussed how building the lithium industry in Arkansas will help deliver on President Donald Trump’s efforts to build a secure critical minerals supply chain in the U.S.
“We don’t just want to do lithium extraction. We want to build out the conversion, refining and the manufacturing, all right here where this valuable resource is,” she said. “With your help, we know Arkansas will be a leader and an innovator in the global lithium market and help put this industry on the map for the United States.”
Key areas of discussion included the deployment and scalability of the direct lithium extraction process, the importance of developing robust midstream manufacturing, financing and global market dynamics, workforce development, and infrastructure planning, particularly in the energy sector.
Speakers ranged from representatives from companies such as Ford, Standard Lithium, Equinor, Chevron and ExxonMobile to legislators such as state Sen. Steve Crowell and Rep. Bruce Westerman, as well as representatives from Southern Arkansas University, Southern Arkansas College, The Venture Center and more.
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