Refine & Shine: Smackover’s Blueprint for America’s Lithium Revival

Companies Mentioned: Standard Lithium, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Tetra, Tuleva, Entergy, Jilin Electric Power, Wabash Valley Resources, Nel ASA, Kaishan Group, PowerCell, Energy Vault, First Solar, LG Chem, Valero, BP, LSB Industries, Lapis Energy, Bloom Energy, Brookfield, Oracle, Berry Global, Amcor
Commodities Mentioned: Lithium, Hydrogen, Ammonia, Nitric acid, Ethanol, Gasoline, Soybean oil, Coal, CO₂, Solar, Rare earths, Graphite, Nickel, Copper, Cobalt

Refine & Shine: Smackover’s Blueprint for America’s Lithium Revival

1st Topic of the Week: As global lithium prices firm and policy aligns, will Arkansas convert Smackover’s brine edge into North America’s midstream anchor for battery-grade production and materials sovereignty?
2nd Topic of the Week: As green and blue hydrogen races diverge regionally, can investors correctly price the hidden costs of verification, utilization, and midstream delivery before commitments harden?
Otherwise – storage, tariffs, and circular materials quietly reset competitiveness, turning grid constraints, policy friction, and recycling economics into the decisive operating levers for industrial advantage.

Exhibit 1: Global lithium processing/refining defines industrial leverage and underpins future economic sovereignty