LibertyStream Infrastructure Partners appointed physical chemist Dr. Steven Harich as chief technical advisor. As its Texas lithium carbonate unit moved into commissioning after mechanical construction finished last week.
The TSX Venture issuer expects initial output in the second half of the fourth quarter, pending systems integration, instrumentation and quality checks laid out in the appointment release.
The move adds field leadership as LibertyStream works to turn brine-derived lithium chloride into saleable lithium carbonate at site..
Commissioning targets and capacity
Commissioning has started. LibertyStream has guided to a field unit capable of up to 10 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate, with finishing steps designed to meet industrial and battery-grade specifications.
They plan to bulk sample shipments produced from oilfield brine to support customer qualification and offtake discussions, once sustained flow is proven on site. That sample plan and the 10 tpa nameplate emerged in an August operations update that flagged the unit’s role as a bridge to commercial contracts.
Harich’s background spans chemical physics research and field operations management tied to water systems, process control and optimization, experience LibertyStream says is directly relevant to crystallization and quality control.
“I’m proud to formally join the LibertyStream team,” said Dr. Steven Harich.
The release points to control‑loop tuning, QA checkouts and then flow testing as the sequence before any sustained shipments. Timing remains near term, the second half of this quarter, if commissioning scheduling holds.
Company backdrop
LibertyStream, which traded as Volt Lithium until late June, transitioned to its new name and symbol LIB on June 26, 2025. The change clarifies branding around a model that marries direct lithium extraction with existing oilfield infrastructure in the United States and, over time, in Canada.
Ottawa continues to flag lithium as a priority under the federal critical minerals strategy, which frames lithium alongside graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper and rare earths as initial focus minerals. That strategy sets the context for capital, permitting and midstream processing ambitions across the country.
Operationally, LibertyStream is still de-risking the last step, converting stockpiled lithium chloride eluate into carbonate consistently and at target purity levels. Management argues the hands‑on approach matters at this stage.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Dr. Steven Harich,” said Alex Wylie, LibertyStream’s president and CEO.
The message aligns with the commissioning focus on instrumentation, process control and QC workflows. Field execution will determine when product moves to customers.
What to happens next
In the near term, watch for LibertyStream to complete loop tuning, QA validation and sustained flow, then publish initial assay data on sample shipments. Those datapoints underpin offtake talks and any claims on repeatability at battery‑grade.
On scale, LibertyStream has communicated that the current field setup is an interim step toward larger refining capacity in 2026, a path that depends on customer pull and financing. The firm has repeatedly tied full‑scale operations to de-risking now and a ramp next year.
The sequencing here fits the broader Canadian backdrop, where capital and policy attention remain fixed on midstream processing and allied supply chains that reward reliable, domestic or allied sources of lithium carbonate.
