Old Rocks
Diamond Member
Wyoming goes slow on $500 billion lithium find - Businessweek
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The discovery of lithium in Sweetwater County has already attracted four lithium lease applications, but the applications are on hold for now while state officials develop a strategy on how to handle mining of the new resource.
Ryan Lance, director of the Office of State Lands and Investments, said the State Board of Land Commissioners is taking its time deciding how to handle the applications because of the enormous potential value of the lithium find — estimated at up to $500 billion based on current market values.
The state board includes Gov. Matt Mead and the other four elected state officials.
Mother lode of lithium discovered in Wyoming | Current Edition | Northern Colorado Business Report
The Rock Springs Uplift is a collection of geologic features (including Madison limestone and Weber/Tensleep sandstone) that provide a cap to a vast underground storage space. Currently that space is awash in hot, pressurized brine.
"The brine is three times as salty as seawater," Surdam said. "Since we're in the Colorado River drainage, just putting the brine in an evaporative pond and storing the salts in a landfill wasn't going to work. The best way is to bring it to the surface, remove the lithium and most of the water. The small amount of slurry left would be re-injected."
Notice how carefully they keep emphasizing storage of CO2 and ignoring the fact that the very hot brine could replace the coal plants with geothermal plants.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The discovery of lithium in Sweetwater County has already attracted four lithium lease applications, but the applications are on hold for now while state officials develop a strategy on how to handle mining of the new resource.
Ryan Lance, director of the Office of State Lands and Investments, said the State Board of Land Commissioners is taking its time deciding how to handle the applications because of the enormous potential value of the lithium find — estimated at up to $500 billion based on current market values.
The state board includes Gov. Matt Mead and the other four elected state officials.
Mother lode of lithium discovered in Wyoming | Current Edition | Northern Colorado Business Report
The Rock Springs Uplift is a collection of geologic features (including Madison limestone and Weber/Tensleep sandstone) that provide a cap to a vast underground storage space. Currently that space is awash in hot, pressurized brine.
"The brine is three times as salty as seawater," Surdam said. "Since we're in the Colorado River drainage, just putting the brine in an evaporative pond and storing the salts in a landfill wasn't going to work. The best way is to bring it to the surface, remove the lithium and most of the water. The small amount of slurry left would be re-injected."
Notice how carefully they keep emphasizing storage of CO2 and ignoring the fact that the very hot brine could replace the coal plants with geothermal plants.