Energy Exploration Technologies, operating as EnergyX, positions itself as a technology-first entrant in the lithium supply chain with a suite of direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies and a roadmap toward commercial-scale production. Originating in 2018 and incorporated in Puerto Rico, EnergyX has focused on reducing the environmental footprint and lead times of lithium recovery from brines through its LiTAS platform, which combines adsorption, solvent extraction and membrane operations. The company has secured rights to large lithium resources in Chile and acreage in the United States, and counts strategic partners and investors including General Motors, POSCO and Eni among its backers. While the technology promises significant reductions in water use and footprint compared with conventional evaporation ponds, EnergyX remains a private company with limited public financial disclosures. This profile compiles operational, technical and commercial details relevant to industry analysts, investors and procurement teams seeking a data-driven view of the firm’s capabilities and market relevance.
EnergyX Company Information: snapshot & core metrics for investors and analysts
This section consolidates primary company identifiers and core financial and operational metrics into a structured reference table. The table is designed to make rapid comparisons possible against other lithium producers, battery-materials suppliers and technology vendors. Where precise figures are not publicly disclosed, entries reference the company statements, filings or third-party studies available through investor materials and regulatory filings.
Field | Value |
---|---|
Company Name | Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (EnergyX) |
Ticker(s) & Exchange(s) | Private (pre-IPO) |
Country | Incorporated: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; Operating HQ and R&D: Austin, Texas, USA |
Headquarters | Austin, Texas (R&D); Corporate registration Puerto Rico |
Founded | 2018 |
CEO | Teague Egan |
Employees | Not publicly disclosed; small-team scale in early years with engineering and commercial growth (company reported ~30 scientists in 2021; headcount expanded thereafter) |
Sector | Mining / Processing / Battery Materials (DLE & refining) |
Sub-Sector | Direct lithium extraction (DLE), membrane & solvent extraction, lithium refining |
Market Cap (USD) | Not applicable (private) |
Revenue (USD) | Limited public revenue; commercial pilot revenue reported but company remains in investment & scale-up phase |
Net Income (USD) | Reported cumulative operating losses through 2023; net loss for the most recent fiscal year reported at ≈$20.8M (May 2025 filing) |
Lithium Production (tonnes LCE/year) | Current pilot-scale output target: ~20–50 tpa; mid-term targets scaling to hundreds of thousands tpa by 2030 (company target up to 500,000 tpa by 2030 in public materials) |
Main Mines / Projects | Project Black Giant (Chile, Salar de Punta Negra); Project Lonestar (North America: Texas / Arkansas / Louisiana region); R&D pilots (Bolivia, other brine tests) |
Project Locations | Chile (Salar de Punta Negra), United States (Texas & Gulf region), Bolivia (pilot), global brine testing partnerships |
Proven & Probable Reserves | Company reports >100,000 acres of lithium resource rights in Chile; no independently published P&P reserve figures publicly available at scale as of latest filings |
Processing Facilities | Pilot plants (Bolivia); planned PFS-backed facilities for Chile and Project Lonestar; partnership with Worley for PFS/EPC design |
Exploration Stage (If junior) | Early-commercial / pre-production scaling; validated pilots and progressing to demonstration and commercial EPC phases |
Key Partnerships / Clients | General Motors (strategic investor & offtake rights), POSCO, Eni, Worley, SUEZ, Allkem (testing LOI), Global Emerging Markets (equity commitment), Albemarle (brine testing) |
Stock Index Membership | Not applicable (private) |
ESG / Sustainability Initiatives | LiTAS DLE aims to reduce water consumption, land footprint, and cycle time vs evaporation ponds; claims >90% recovery in pilots and reduced CO2 footprint per tonne |
Website | energyx.com (company); investor portal: invest.energyx.com |
Key quick facts summarized above are documented across the company’s investor materials, third-party feasibility statements and regulatory filings. For a practical investor guide on potential public listing mechanics and buying pathways, refer to this overview: How to invest in EnergyX (Fool).
EnergyX technology and project portfolio: LiTAS DLE processes, pilot performance and engineering scale-up
EnergyX frames its competitive advantage around the LiTAS platform, a combined suite of DLE methods that includes adsorption (AX), solvent extraction (SX) and lithium-selective membranes (MX). The stated proposition is to treat diverse brine chemistries and to convert brine lithium into market-ready products faster and with lower physical and water footprints than traditional evaporation ponds.
Technology components and claimed performance
The company describes three core unit operations:
- Adsorbents (AX) — engineered sorbents capture Li ions rapidly from brine; EnergyX reports high thermal stability and long lifecycle for sorbents from pilot results.
- Solvent extraction (SX) — proprietary extractants concentrate lithium while purifying competing salts; claimed to enable higher Li concentrations ahead of conversion steps.
- Membranes (MX) — selective membranes for Li separation and direct conversion routes to lithium hydroxide or chloride, supporting “brine to battery” workflows.
Company-supplied pilot data and third-party pilot summaries emphasize:
- Rapid turnaround: lithium recovery in days versus 12–18 months for evaporation-based systems.
- High recovery: pilot recoveries above 90% reported in the YLB Bolivia test, contrasted with lower yields in legacy pond operations.
- Reduced footprint and water use: EnergyX claims orders-of-magnitude reductions in land area and a fraction of water evaporation per tonne of lithium.
Examples illustrate the benefit to supply chains: an EV manufacturer such as Tesla or a battery cell maker working with suppliers similar to Panasonic would value faster conversion times and reduced hydrological impacts when securing offtake. Utilities and grid-scale storage customers — companies such as NextEra Energy or Brookfield Renewable — that contract for battery storage indirectly benefit when upstream lithium supply is less constrained.
Pilot performance, independent validation and engineering partners
Key milestones and validations:
- 2022 in-field pilot at YLB (Bolivia) operated ~6 months with continuous 24/7 performance and reported ~94% recovery in field conditions.
- Third-party pre-feasibility study (PFS) completed for Project Black Giant in Chile; documented in the company press release and investor materials—refer to the PFS summary: EnergyX PFS announcement.
- Engineering and EPC scope advanced with Worley engaged to finalize PFS/EPC design work for major projects, providing Tier-1 engineering validation of scalability.
Scaling considerations that engineers and procurement teams evaluate include:
- Material supply chains for membranes and extractants (recurring consumables)—EnergyX plans to generate recurring revenue selling replacements on a 2–3 year lifecycle.
- Integration with downstream refiners and cathode makers—partners such as POSCO and Eni are cited as technology evaluators and potential offtakers.
- Site-specific brine chemistry—EnergyX positions LiTAS as adaptable across brine types, reducing the need for bespoke flowsheets per site.
Operational risks and mitigation are discussed in regulatory filings and investor decks. These include the need for quality control of consumables, local permitting and water-rights interfaces, and the scaling of membrane and sorbent manufacturing to industrial volumes. The next technical milestone is demonstrator-to-commercial EPC execution with multi-kilotonne per annum units, and eventually the Project Lonestar megasite in the US and full-scale Chilean operations.
Comparateur : LiTAS DLE vs Evaporation conventionnelle
Outil interactif pour comparer métriques clés et estimer empreinte, eau évaporée et CAPEX selon le volume de production.
David Miller is a financial writer and analyst who has spent more than ten years studying how natural resources shape the global economy. His work often gravitates toward lithium and other battery metals, not just because of their financial weight, but because of their role in the world’s energy transition and the shift toward cleaner technologies.
Having followed the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy from both an investment and environmental perspective, David believes that telling the story of each company matters. Behind every market cap or production figure, there are people, communities, and long-term projects that define how the lithium supply chain evolves.
In this directory, his goal is to provide profiles that are accurate, comparable, and accessible, but also written with an awareness of the bigger picture: how each company contributes to the future of energy, mobility, and sustainability.