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Palmer also highlighted LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners Inc (LIB:TSX; LIBLF:OTC), which on March 12 announced that it had completed site preparations and begun installation of its direct lithium extraction and lithium carbonate refining systems at Select Water Solutions’ site in Howard County, Texas. The company said the systems are being integrated with Select’s existing produced water pretreatment and recycling infrastructure and are expected to begin producing technical-grade and battery-grade lithium carbonate in early Q2 2026.

According to the company, the initial deployment is intended to support continued bulk sample production and customer qualification while establishing a systems-integration template for planned scaling at the site and future deployments across major U.S. basins, including the Permian and Bakken. LibertyStream said this deployment is intended to validate its on-site systems integration at Select and support continued bulk sample production for customer qualification. It also said the effort is designed to establish an operating template for scaling through the remainder of 2026 by integrating its proprietary direct lithium extraction technology and refining systems into existing oilfield infrastructure. [OWNERSHIP_CHART-10857]

Alex Wylie, President and CEO of LibertyStream, stated in a company news release, “Our team has made significant progress over the past month preparing the site and installing our DLE extraction and refining systems at Select’s facility. We remain ahead of schedule for commissioning and expect to begin initial lithium carbonate production early in the second quarter. This deployment is designed to support bulk sample production and customer qualification while establishing the integration template for planned scaling through the balance of 2026.”

The company said its near-term focus is to complete integration with Select’s existing produced water infrastructure and commence lithium carbonate production at the site in early Q2 2026, while also advancing a separate commercial-scale expansion targeted to bring annualized production capability to up to 1,000 tonnes by year-end 2026. To support that plan, LibertyStream said it intends to complete installation, systems integration, and commissioning of its on-site direct lithium extraction and refining systems in early Q2 2026; commence lithium carbonate production and continue shipping bulk samples with certificates of analysis for customer testing and qualification in both industrial and battery-grade markets; continue qualifying customers for offtake through an ongoing sampling program; and advance construction of a separate commercial-scale direct lithium extraction and refining system later in 2026.

In his earlier interview, Palmer briefly discussed LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners Inc when asked for thoughts on specific companies. On Liberty Stream, he said the company is “a lithium company” using direct lithium extraction, or DLE, and targeting oil and gas wells in the United States where lithium is present in brine. He said several companies have talked about this approach, but added, “these guys are actually doing it. They’re the first ones to commercially do this.” He also referred to “a press release today” and said the company was installing equipment this month, with “commercial production expected in q2.”

Earlier company materials said LibertyStream was approaching what it described as the final phase of reducing operational risks and said field development activities included laying concrete pads, establishing on-site power generation to support refining infrastructure, and building a stockpile of lithium chloride eluate for processing once the unit became operational. The company also said its goal upon commissioning was to demonstrate on-site conversion of oilfield-produced brine directly into technical-grade and battery-grade lithium carbonate.

In additional commentary included in the pasted material, LibertyStream said its potential for scalable growth is tied to existing oilfield infrastructure in North America’s major producing regions. The company said the Permian Basin generates more than 20 million barrels of water daily and that the Bakken manages an additional 1.5 million to 1.7 million barrels per day through existing systems. The material also stated that these established networks provide a foundation for lithium extraction without requiring new produced water infrastructure. Separately, Hale wrote for AInvest that risk is “mitigated by LibertyStream’s low-cost model and structural demand for North American lithium,” and added that “By leveraging the Bakken’s rich brines, existing oilfield assets, and government backing, it’s building a cost-efficient, scalable business model.”

²About 9% of the company is owned by insiders and management, and about 9% by institutions. The rest is in retail.