Energy Exploration Technologies Inc. (EnergyX), an American lithium and battery technology company, recently announced a $450m investment commitment from Global Emerging Markets (GEM).
The proceeds from this capital investment will further the company’s commercialisation efforts well-positioning EnergyX to continue its growth, becoming the market leader in direct lithium extraction and refinery technologies.
What is EnergyX?
Created in 2018, EnergyX is a start-up focused on providing efficient, sustainable solutions to challenges facing global lithium supply chains. From the raw battery materials extraction process to refining, and the manufacturing of next-generation batteries, EnergyX is innovating from lithium brine to battery. The company has filed over 50 patents to this end and is developing its proprietary Lithium-Ion Transport and Separation (LiTAS™) and Solid-State Lithium Metal Battery (SoLiS™) technologies. Its LiTAS™ technology has been piloted in the Lithium Triangle in South America and increases lithium production from 30% in existing systems up to 94% recovery rate for that particular project.
What is GEM?
Founded in 1991, GEM is a $3.4bn alternative investment firm with offices in Paris, New York, and the Bahamas. GEM oversees a wide range of developing market investment vehicles and has executed over 530 transactions in 75 countries. The degree of operational control, risk-adjusted return, and liquidity profile of each investment vehicle vary. GEM and its partners have access to Small-Mid Cap Management Buyouts, Private Investments in Public Equities, and select venture investments through the family of funds and investment vehicles.
“A tech-heavy ESG company mining in the emerging markets is a rare find,” explained Jonathan Collins, Managing Director of The GEM Group. “GEM is delighted to partner with EnergyX, a leader and innovator in the complicated and historically inefficient Lithium extraction space. From the historic pilot extraction programme in Bolivia to the material science patents out of Austin TX, EnergyX is leading the way in maximising Lithium recovery and asset utilisation in an environmentally and socially conscious way.”
GEM’S $450m investment commitment with EnergyX
In this tailored agreement, EnergyX will control the amount and timing of drawdowns under this $450m facility with no minimum subscription obligation and will issue shares of common stock over a 36-month period after a public listing. GEM’s investment in EnergyX is a strong vote of confidence in the company’s growing portfolio of patents, innovative technology, and global reach into emerging markets, and gives EnergyX a tremendous runway to grow operations.
EnergyX completed an active tender process with Bolivia’s lithium company YLB, where one of its LiTAS™ pilot plants operated from early 2022 rendering promising results. Although YLB initially elected to move in a different direction for that specific tender, EnergyX still believes there are different opportunities and angles to work with YLB providing services to their lithium industry. EnergyX also recently signed an agreement with MOBI LATAM, a Bolivian electric micro-mobility start-up to build battery swap stations using EnergyX’s SoLiS™ technology. This move has cemented the American company as a leader in brine to battery technology in South America.
“GEM’s funding for EnergyX is one of the company’s biggest accomplishments to date. It gives us a war chest and rewards the hard work and long hours put in by every member of our team since the creation of the company,” concluded EnergyX CEO Teague Egan. “Everyone at EnergyX has been committed to developing cutting-edge technology capable of revolutionising the lithium industry and having an impact on the global transition to low carbon. We have worked tirelessly to make this a reality, and this investment is an indication that we are well on our way to reaching our goals.”
