While the world searches for helpful sustainable energy solutions, one small-cap company quietly changing the lithium industry landscape in the United States. Headquartered in Calgary, Canada, Volt Lithium Corp. (TSXV: VLT.v – US, OTC: VLTLF) has become the only operational Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) operator on the continent, with a working field unit, converting oilfield brine, a byproduct from the Texas Permian Basin oil production, into battery-grade lithium carbonate. Volt with a market cap of about C$55 million achieved a breakthrough milestone in February 2025, scaling up its field unit to process 11,500 barrels per day (bpd) of brine and lithium was being extracted with 99% efficiency. Volt has been able to excel in this field due to heavily investing in developing proprietary modern technologies.
Unlike traditional mining methods that revolve around hard rock mining and concentrating brines into huge ponds, Volt extracted lithium economically with scalable DLE methods, offering a cost-effective and scalable alternative to conventional lithium production. With plans to expand capacity to 100,000 bpd by the second half of 2025, potentially producing 1,000 tons per annum (TPA) of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE), Volt is set to capture a large share of the lithium market in North America. Volt is well-positioned to benefit from North America’s push for domestic supply and manufacturing needs, avoiding the tariffs affecting global imports.
In this Q&A, CEO Alex Wylie shares insights into Volt’s innovative journey, technological edge, and pivotal role in shaping the future. Getting in touch with Volt’s CEO Alex Wylie directly is still the best approach to get answers to important questions that I and other investors have addressed.
Interview with Alex Wylie, CEO of Volt Lithium Corporation
Joe: Congratulations on Volt’s recent achievements. Can you briefly explain how your lithium extraction technology integrates with existing oil and gas infrastructure and the advantages this integration offers?
Alex Wylie: Thanks, Joe. Volt’s technology integrates directly with existing oil and gas infrastructure by extracting lithium from produced water, a byproduct of oil production. In the Permian Basin, where our largest operations currently are located, each barrel of oil typically generates around three barrels of lithium-rich water, incurring significant disposal costs. Volt taps directly into existing saltwater disposal facilities, rapidly extracting lithium on-site within about 30 minutes, then immediately returning the processed water for reinjection underground. This substantially reduces costs compared to traditional lithium extraction methods, which often involve drilling new wells and infrastructure builds costing between $700 million to over $1 billion.
Joe: Volt has rapidly achieved significant milestones—from your pilot in May 2023 to your demonstration plant in October, leading quickly to strategic partnerships and field operations. Could you detail these critical developments?
Alex Wylie: Absolutely. We began with a successful pilot in May 2023, validating our technology on a significant scale. By October 2023, we established our demonstration plant, enabling testing of brine samples from across North America and globally. These demonstrations led directly to a strategic partnership and investment from a major Permian Basin operator in May 2024. By September 2024, we deployed our first field operations unit in the Permian Basin, processing 600 barrels per day, quickly scaling to 2,500 barrels per day by December. In early 2025, we demonstrated our modular Generation 5 unit could process at least 11,000 barrels per day (bpd), with higher actual capacity achievable. This modular design allows easy addition of further DLE tanks, significantly increasing throughput. This marks our initial commercial-scale capability and provides a proven, scalable blueprint for further growth.
Joe: Some investors have raised concerns about potential operational complexities or challenges with scalability. Could you shed light on how straightforward your operations are and provide details on the scalability process?
Alex Wylie: Volt’s technology is designed for simplicity and rapid scalability. Our modular approach has successfully scaled from lab units to Generation 5, featuring multiple operating units. Our Generation 5 unit was assembled and operational within roughly four weeks, demonstrating an easily repeatable template. With approximately 2,000 decentralized saltwater disposal facilities (SWDs) in the Permian Basin processing an average of 75,000 barrels per day, we don’t require large centralized systems. Instead, our strategy involves replicating modular units at multiple SWD locations, allowing virtually limitless scalability. Currently, our primary constraints are manpower and capital.
Joe: With the 10K base modular unit now operational and tested, what’s your next target? Are you aiming for a single larger 100K bpd unit at the same location, or planning to deploy several smaller units across multiple locations? Could you share an overview of your expansion strategy?
Alex Wylie: Our immediate focus is to maximize the capacity at our current field location while refining operations for broader application. Instead of a singular 100K bpd unit, we’ll scale by adding modular units across multiple SWD sites, matched to each facility’s capacity. Once the current location hits its practical limit, we’ll replicate our modular approach at other SWD sites to achieve the goal of 100,000 barrels per day throughput.
Joe: Can you clarify the economic potential of your process? Specifically, how does your cost structure compare to other lithium producers?
Alex Wylie: Volt’s cost structure is highly attractive due to utilizing existing waste streams from oil and gas operations, significantly minimizing raw material and transportation expenses. This positions us firmly at the low end of the lithium production cost curve. Additionally, promising future economic opportunities exist from other valuable minerals such as calcium and magnesium, economically extractable from the brines we process. While our immediate focus remains lithium, exploring these additional streams could further enhance our economics.
Joe: Could you elaborate on how the extraction of calcium and magnesium as byproducts aligns with your long-term strategy, and potential market opportunities or challenges for these materials?
Alex Wylie: Right now, our strategic focus remains squarely on lithium and operational excellence as we rapidly scale. While we won’t divert attention from this core objective, additional opportunities exist in the brines we process. Our extraction processes already yield saleable byproducts like calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. Though these aren’t as high-profile as lithium, they represent future revenue streams worth exploring in due course.
Joe: How does being effectively a U.S.-based company position Volt strategically in the market?
Alex Wylie: With operations centralized in Texas, my recent U.S. visa approval, and North American-focused sourcing and sales, we eliminate tariff risks and significantly strengthen our position as a domestic lithium producer. Regulatory support for domestic critical minerals further enables rapid expansion, vertically within the Permian Basin and laterally into regions like North Dakota’s Bakken, where we’ve secured government funding for field units.
Joe: Given recent developments, how do you see Volt’s role in addressing growing lithium demand in North America?
Alex Wylie: North America faces significant lithium supply shortages in the coming years. Volt’s technology uniquely enables rapid scaling at low capital and operational costs. Unlike traditional projects needing significant upfront investment and lengthy timelines, Volt can scale immediately and economically, positioning us as a responsive domestic supplier.
Joe: Can you provide some insights into your current timeline and expectations for commercial-scale lithium carbonate production?
Alex Wylie: We’re positioned to move toward full commercial-scale operations soon, though exact timing depends on several factors beyond our control, involving coordination among Volt, our Permian Basin partner, and potential customers. Incentives are strongly aligned for rapid commercialization. We’re already stockpiling lithium chloride solutions for specialized industries, offering immediate revenue potential.
Joe: Why has the name of your U.S. partner remained confidential, and when might it be announced?
Alex Wylie: As a venture-stage company, we’ve been fortunate to secure a major Permian operator as a partner. Industry standards typically set milestones before public disclosure. We’ve rapidly progressed toward these milestones and anticipate announcing our partnership in relatively near-term. Our partner has been instrumental, providing essential resources, infrastructure, and expertise.
Joe: Beside North Dakota, is there any interest from other oil and gas or water-handling companies across the U.S., in general, and particularly in Texas?
Alex Wylie: Yes, there has been interest from other oil and gas and water-handling companies, not only in Texas and North Dakota but broadly across North America. At this time, specific discussions remain confidential, but we can confirm there is meaningful interest from multiple potential partners in various regions. However, our immediate focus remains on executing and scaling our operations in the Permian Basin with our current partner. Once established at scale there, we anticipate strategically pursuing expansion opportunities with other partners in other basins.
Joe: Lastly, are there any plans to uplist to major U.S. exchanges like NASDAQ?
Alex Wylie: Absolutely. Uplisting is important strategically, as Volt is effectively a U.S.-based company now, with significant operations in Texas and soon in North Dakota. Greater U.S. exposure and market accessibility align perfectly with our trajectory. As we achieve key milestones, we anticipate positioning favorably for NASDAQ listing, enhancing visibility and investor reach.
Disclosure: Author is long Volt in the Canadian & US markets
