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   From: remailer@domain.invalid   
      
   In article    
   rudy  wrote:   
      
   ExxonMobil plans to begin producing lithium in 2027 in a major   
   strategic pivot, as the biggest western oil producer bets it can use   
   its expertise in drilling and processing to become a leading player   
   in the battery metal.   
      
      
      
   The company said on Monday it had begun work to extract lithium from   
   underground brines in the southern US state of Arkansas, where it   
   has acquired the rights to 120,000 acres of land in the Smackover   
   formation.    
      
      
      
   “We think we’re going to build a profitable and high-growth business   
   for the long term here.   
      
   So it’s a big deal,” said Dan Amman, head of Exxon’s low-carbon   
   solutions business, adding that the project built on the company’s   
   “existing knowhow”.   
      
      
      
   “We’re drilling wells 10,000 feet underground into these saltwater   
   reservoirs.   
      
   That’s obviously directly in our wheelhouse and capability   
   skillset,” Amman said in an interview with the Financial Times.   
      
      
      
   The move comes as the energy transition drives a surge in demand for   
   the battery metal. The International Energy Agency has predicted   
   consumption could increase by a factor of more than 40 between 2020   
   and 2040, on the back of rapid growth in the use of lithium-ion   
   batteries needed for electric vehicles and energy storage.   
      
      
      
   Exxon — which has faced criticism that its low-carbon spend is   
   dwarfed by its outlay on future oil and gas production — did not say   
   exactly how much it would invest in the new business, which will be   
   branded Mobil Lithium. Amman said the investment would “ramp up into   
   the billions over time”.   
      
      
      
   Last month the company announced a $60bn deal to buy Pioneer Natural   
   Resources, the biggest oil producer in Texas, in a move analysts   
   described as a doubling down on fossil fuels.   
      
   Next will come the poisoning of Arkansas, stay tuned!   
      
   https://www.ft.com/content/03094aeb-ac3e-4634-bf6f-22579f74faa0   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)