雪佛龙成为最新一家大举押注锂矿的石油和天然气公司，于 6 月 17 日宣布收购德克萨斯州和阿肯色州的两个主要租赁权。

TerraVolta Resources 和 East Texas Natural Resources 新收购的资产将合并形成一个净面积近 125,000 英亩的矿区，目标是横跨德克萨斯州东北部和阿肯色州西南部、锂资源丰富的 Smackover 地层。

这家总部位于休斯顿的超级巨头在一份声明中表示：“由于锂含量极高，这一地层特别受关注，这标志着雪佛龙朝着建立商业规模的国内锂业务迈出了第一步。”

此前，埃克森美孚、Equinor和西方石油公司已对 Smackover 石灰岩矿进行投资，以将美国锂卤水资源商业化，这些资源可用于制造电池。

石油公司之所以被这个新兴行业所吸引，是因为它利用许多核心石油和天然气技术和技能（例如地下评估、资产规划以及钻井和作业）来提取富含锂的盐水。

随着直接锂提取（DLE）技术的进步，上游行业的兴趣也日益增长。雪佛龙称，该技术比传统的锂回收方法更快捷、更环保。雪佛龙补充说，一旦锂被提取出来，DLE技术可以将采出水重新注入储层。

雪佛龙在公告中还指出，全球锂产量已从1995年的约9500吨飙升至2023年的近19.8万吨，其中智利、澳大利亚和中国是全球主要供应国。预计2021年至2040年间，锂需求将增长400%，这主要得益于电动汽车和储能技术的加速转型。

雪佛龙新能源业务总裁杰夫·古斯塔夫森表示：“此次收购是一项支持能源制造和扩大美国关键矿产供应的战略投资。”他补充道，“这一机会建立在雪佛龙的许多优势之上，包括地下资源开发和价值链整合。”

Chevron has become the latest oil and gas company to place a big bet on lithium, announcing on 17 June the acquisition of two major leasehold positions in Texas and Arkansas.

The newly acquired assets—held by TerraVolta Resources and East Texas Natural Resources—will be combined to form a position of almost 125,000 net acres targeting the lithium-rich Smackover Formation, which spans northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas.

“This formation is of particular interest due to its notably high lithium content and marks Chevron’s first step toward establishing a commercial-scale, domestic lithium business,” the Houston-based supermajor said in a statement.

The entry into the limestone Smackover follows other investments made by ExxonMobil, Equinor, and Occidental Petroleum to commercialize US lithium brine resources, which can be used to make electric batteries.

Oil companies have been drawn to this emerging sector because it leverages many core oil and gas technologies and skill sets—such as subsurface appraisal, asset planning, and well drilling and operations—to extract lithium-rich brine.

Interest from the upstream industry has also grown alongside advancements in direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology which Chevron describes as a faster and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods for recovering lithium. Once the lithium has been extracted, Chevron added that DLE enables the produced water to be reinjected into the reservoir.

Chevron also noted in its announcement that global lithium production has soared from about 9,500 metric tons in 1995 to nearly 198,000 metric tons in 2023, with Chile, Australia, and China leading global supply. Demand is projected to grow by 400% between 2021 and 2040, driven largely by the accelerating transition to electric vehicles and energy storage technologies.

“This acquisition represents a strategic investment to support energy manufacturing and expand US-based critical mineral supplies,” said Jeff Gustavson, president of Chevron's new energies business, adding that, “This opportunity builds on many of Chevron’s strengths including subsurface resource development and value chain integration.”