Mike Barman: Yes, thank you, Robert. So as Robert said, there’s a number of programs that we’re active in. Some are quite well aligned with our projects. So, we are hopeful. But as you know, with these programs, there’s uncertainty. And so, we don’t want to make representations that we will be getting anything, but we are certainly active in those. And the quantum of those can be quite meaningful in the context of project funding.
Robert Mintak: I think I’d reiterate.
Mike Barman: Yes, I would reiterate Robert’s timeline. We’ll know more towards the end of the summer. And so expect communication from us around that time.
Robert Mintak: Yes, thanks, Mike. Yes, we’re very fortunate in that the projects, the lithium brine projects, with a high sustainable profile using DLE, and then operating in a region with significant stakeholder support. If we’re successful, we’ll be adding that additional benefit of transitioning jobs that are coming out of the oil and gas sector, because of the resource that’s been in production for a hundred years and it’s in its retiring date. But those jobs can then transition into the lithium sector, and part of the energy economy. So, we tick a number of the very attractive boxes, a region, and a benefit from the transition for jobs going from the oil and gas sector, into the new energy economy, significant stakeholder support, a very small environmental footprint, the most advanced DLE process of any project in North America, hands down.
And additionally supplying domestic lithium as required by the Inflation Reduction Act. So, we believe we’re an extremely attractive project, and we’re doing everything we can to return the tax dollars back, to the communities that we’re operating in.
Unidentified Analyst: Thank you.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Katie Lachapelle from Canaccord Genuity. Please go ahead.
Katie Lachapelle: Hi, Robert and team. It’s great to hear that you guys are clearly seeing strong interest on both the strategic partnership side as well as the financing side. I’m just wondering if you can provide sort of any guidance about how you’re now thinking about revised timelines to first production at Phase 1A and perhaps on the South West Arkansas project as well, just in light of the fact that there’s obviously a lot of moving parts right now?
Robert Mintak: Yes, we’re, thanks, Katie. We’re advancing the project so, as I highlighted earlier in the call, now that we have received at the end of 2023 notification from Lanxess on their participation at 1A through commercial agreements. We’re advancing those discussions. We’re working with the AOGC, the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission on royalties. And then now that we had certainty on the offtake we were in a process to align with a significant partnership on the offtake as well. So, we’re advancing those and a completion of those will guide us on the FID. On South West Arkansas, the interest on that project is extremely high, because it is a much higher throughput capacity. So it’s a strategic interest and offtake interest that project is garnering significant and more attention.
And we’re in advanced discussions on that project for both that strategic level and the offtake side. Post Q2 announcement of bringing a sink along for the FEED and definitive feasibility study, I believe we’re still tracking for 2027 as a fully achievable production on that. We’re having to navigate specifically and technically choppy waters on the lithium sector, but that’s across all regions. I think the strength of the project allows us more confidence in meeting the timelines. Because the interest when you’re looking to pick a horse, pick one that isn’t going to fall, before the end of the race, because of permitting, because of stakeholder support not being there. So, we have those benefits, and that’s why a lot of our emphasis, specifically on the strategic side, is to bring in a partner that will allow us, to maintain the trajectory to be the first to production in the United States.
Katie Lachapelle: Awesome. Thanks. I appreciate the additional commentary.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Peter Epstein from Epstein Research. Please go ahead.
Peter Epstein: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. Can you describe the upcoming event this week in Little Rock and the importance for Standard Lithium?
Robert Mintak: Hi, Peter. Hi, thanks for the call. It’s nice to connect with you. For anyone that is listening in that’s not aware, this week, February 15th and 16th, the Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit, the first iteration of that, is kicking off. And it is an extremely exciting event. About a year ago, we came up with an idea to hold a lithium event in Arkansas that Standard Lithium would host, bring in key stakeholders, state agencies, representatives across the industry, academia. And it was going to be a Standard Lithium stand-alone event. It took on a life of its own since that idea. And now we see the world’s largest lithium producer, Albemarle, will be joining us. For those who aren’t aware, they have operations in South Arkansas for bromine.
Exxon Mobil will be participating, TETRA Technologies, and about a dozen other service providers, technology companies, drilling companies will be there. Governor Sarah Huckabee Saunders will be presenting a keynote. Senator John Boozman will be speaking, along with a number of other industry commentators. I believe we’ll have Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, S&P, Benchmark, Fastmarkets are all attending. So this is going to be one of the highlights of the first half of this year in the lithium sector. We’ve got a full week of meetings with state agencies, utilities, universities, on how we can all work to build a globally important lithium industry in Arkansas. It should be an extremely well-received industry event in a challenging market, because what’s unique about the projects we’re building and the region we’re building in there’s excitement around this still.