Standard Lithium, a near-commercial lithium company, signed a mandate with BNP Paribas to act as exclusive financial advisor to the company in connection with limited recourse debt financing. The debt financing will be used to fund the majority of the company’s proposed first commercial project, the Lanxess 1A Project, located near El Dorado in southern Arkansas.

“We are delighted to start this engagement with BNP Paribas,” Andy Robinson, president of Standard Lithium, said. “Standard Lithium is in the closing stages of the definitive feasibility study (DFS) for our first commercial project, the Lanxess 1A project. As we move towards commercialization, we have kicked off the necessary financial processes to ensure the most capital efficient way to fund our first full-scale project. BNP brings an excellent track record of advising and securing debt financing for similar sustainable, battery and critical mineral projects, and we look forward to working closely with them as we endeavor to secure project financing for construction anticipated to begin next year.”

“We are pleased to partner with Standard Lithium for this landmark debt financing,” Antonio Pichardo, director at BNP Paribas, said. “This new project is a testament to their commitment to environmental protection and demonstrates that we can meet the growing demand for lithium. BNP Paribas is determined to strengthen our climate action in order to help our clients and our world to face the challenges of the future. We are looking forward to helping establish Standard Lithium as a leading producer of responsible lithium for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market.”