DME Energy Resources has acquired Canada-based Conductive Energy, a market leader in direct lithium extraction technology, to form Empower EIT. The company’s vertically integrated platform leverages the lithium value chain end-to-end to deliver resource development, extraction, and production of battery-grade lithium carbonate.
As part of combining the businesses, Empower EIT has consolidated its operations into a new 17,000-square-foot headquarters and innovation facility in Addison, relocating Conductive Energy’s manufacturing operations from Chicago and its laboratory and research functions from Calgary, Alberta.
The move brings all engineering, manufacturing, research and operational teams together to enhance collaboration and commercialization timelines, the company said.
Empower EIT CEO Patrick Dowling [Photo: Empower EIT]
Empower EIT CEO Patrick Dowling said his company’s formation “represents a significant milestone in the evolution of next-generation lithium production, aligning technological innovation with environmental stewardship, supply-chain security and long-term shareholder value creation.”
“With no third-party involvement across the value chain,” he added in a statement, “Empower EIT is positioned to provide a fully U.S.-based solution to the growing global lithium demand driven by electrification and clean energy policies.”
Closed-loop system reduces waste, improves efficiency
Empower EIT’s proprietary direct lithium extraction field pilot unit. [Photo: Empower EIT]
Backed by more than a decade of research and development, Empower EIT’s patented DLE technology is concentration-independent, capable of processing virtually any brine resource with lithium concentrations from 50 to 1,000+ parts per million and conversion capabilities achieving 99.8% lithium carbonate purity. The company said the technology has been validated through commercial-scale collaborations with energy majors, proving its readiness for deployment at scale.
Unlike conventional evaporation ponds, the company’s DLE technology allows rapid lithium extraction while significantly reducing the environmental impact. By managing the closed-loop process from extraction to conversion, Empower EIT said it also can recycle and repurpose critical materials to reduce waste and maximize operational efficiency.
Equity partnership with Joe Williams of Keller Williams Realty Int’l
To advance its competitive position, Empower EIT said it has formed a strategic equity partnership with Joe Williams, co-founder of Keller Williams Realty International. Williams has decades of experience building and growing one of the world’s most successful real estate and investment platforms, along with extensive experience in organizational growth, capital strategy and long-term value creation.
“Empower EIT represents the kind of company I am drawn to, with strong leadership, patented technology and a long-term vision aligned with real-world demand,” Williams said in a statement. “The opportunity to support a fully integrated, domestic lithium platform at this stage of growth is both compelling and important for the future of energy.”
With the merger completed and its new Addison headquarters fully operational, Empower EIT said it’s moving toward commercial-scale lithium production and plans to announce additional strategic partnerships and developments in the coming months.
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