E3 Lithium has signed a contribution agreement securing up to C$36.5 million in non-repayable funding from Natural Resources Canada’s Global Partnerships Initiative to advance the Clearwater Project through its demonstration and feasibility stages.
The federal funding will support the final phase of the project’s demonstration facility together with the engineering activities required to complete the feasibility study, marking a key stage in the project’s development toward commercial evaluation.
Funding covers majority of project programme
Under the agreement, the federal contribution will finance 75% of an approximately C$48 million programme. Eligible activities include project staffing, Phase 3 demonstration work and the engineering studies needed to complete the feasibility study. The funding is retroactive to 1 April 2026, enabling E3 Lithium to claim eligible project costs incurred from the beginning of the second quarter of 2026.
Demonstration work advances project development
The final demonstration phase is intended to generate the technical data required to support completion of the Clearwater Project’s feasibility study.
The programme includes work associated with validating direct lithium extraction performance, including recovery rates, reagent consumption, water management, operating costs, brine variability and scale-up performance. The engineering and demonstration activities are designed to provide the technical basis required for a commercial development plan. Completion of the feasibility study is expected to support the project’s Stage 1 commercial planning and provide the technical and engineering information required for future project development decisions.
