TETRA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. ANNOUNCES UPDATE ON KEY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
TETRA Technologies, Inc. | December 20, 2022 | Read time: 03:00 min
TETRA Technologies, Inc. announced updates on some of the Company's strategic initiatives.
TETRA announced that Hargrove has completed the Front-End Engineering Design scope of work for the development and construction of a bromine production facility from TETRA's brine leases in Arkansas. Hargrove's FEED study provided an estimated total required capital investment, within a relevant range, over an estimated 24 month-period to construct the facility; optimized process flow, and identified long lead items. In addition, also provided was an evaluation of the required capital and engineering design to maximize the project's long-term profitability and the actions necessary to reduce execution risk to support the advancement of the project towards becoming a robust bromine-producing plant. As announced previously, TETRA's brine leases are estimated to contain inferred resources of 5.25 million tons of bromine and 234,000 tons lithium carbonate equivalent. Hargrove's FEED study is part of TETRA's ongoing evaluation and initial assessment of its Arkansas brine leases, which is part of an effort by TETRA to develop bromine production to meet an existing and growing completion fluids market as well as TETRA's high purity zinc bromide electrolyte (TETRA PureFlow®) to support the projected high growth market of energy storage. During the fourth quarter, TETRA received an order for TETRA PureFlow® from a second zinc-based energy storage battery provider.
In parallel to the Hargrove FEED scope of work, Lonquist & Company LLC are in the process of completing a detailed geological, reservoir and production simulation study to ensure the optimal locations for the production and injection wells to ensure the best long-term producibility and recovery of the bromine and lithium from TETRA's approximately 5,000 acres where TETRA holds the bromine and lithium mineral rights not subject to the option agreement with Standard Lithium. The reservoir modeling and well placements design are also important to support the production volumes that the Company will include in a forthcoming economic analysis. The final Lonquist report is currently targeted for completion in January 2023, after which the Company will finalize and make available an initial economic assessment.
During the fourth quarter, TETRA successfully completed its first UK based CS Neptune® project. With this project, TETRA has now completed CS Neptune jobs with 100% success rates in the Gulf of Mexico, Norway and the UK. The European projects are smaller in size to those previously completed in the Gulf of Mexico but demonstrate the successful application of this zinc-free environmentally-friendly completion fluid. TETRA also completed an acquisition of a completion fluids business in the U.K. and is in the final stages of completing an additional acquisition to expand its deepwater position in the Gulf of Mexico. Although smaller in size, both acquisitions will immediately grow TETRA's market position and growth capacity in both key offshore markets.
Also in the fourth quarter, TETRA has obtained exceptional preliminary results from its first desalination of produced water for beneficial re-use pilot project in Texas for a major oil & gas producer. TETRA has partnered with this major U.S. shale producer for its first pilot using TETRA's proprietary pre-treatment process combined with osmotically assisted reverse osmosis technology where TETRA has an exclusive agreement for oil and gas applications. The results have yielded as high as 92% de-salinated water from the produced water with total dissolved solids levels ranging from 200 ppm to 40 ppm. For comparison, the typical average municipal tap water contains between 300 ppm to 400 ppm. The trial was recently completed and the equipment field and operational learnings will be used for a final commercial plant design.
TETRA"S CEO Brady Murphy stated, "I am pleased with the progress we have made this year by strengthening our position in key markets for an expected multi-year offshore upcycle while making significant R&D and engineering progress for lithium extraction and bromine production from our Arkansas Smackover brine leases. With the recent and increasing seismicity events in West Texas and New Mexico, there is increasing urgency for desalinating oil and gas produced water for the purpose of beneficial reuse. We are excited with our advances in each of these areas and the business opportunities they present for the company."