STRATEGIC EXECUTION SECURES LEADING GLOBAL ENERGY PARTNER, EQUINOR. INJECTS IMMEDIATE LIQUIDITY THROUGH DIRECT INVESTMENTS IN SOUTH WEST ARKANSAS AND EAST TEXAS PROJECTS PARTNERSHIP BRINGS WORLD-CLASS PROJECT DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITIES, ACCELERATING SMACKOVER DEVELOPMENT PATH VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard Lithium Ltd. ("Standard Lithium" or the "Company") (TSXV:SLI) (NYSE:SLI) (FRA:S5L), a leading near-commercial lithium development company, today reported its financial and operating results for the fiscal third quarter ended March 31, 2024. "In Q3, Standard Lithium continued to execute on our strategic plan, responsibly and efficiently advancing our projects," stated Standard Lithium CEO Robert Mintak. "While the lithium sector has experienced challenges over the past year, we see positive indicators pointing toward stability, and the fundamentals of the lithium market remain strong. This presents a timely moment to showcase our strengths: a strong asset base, favorable jurisdictions, and an industry-leading Direct Lithium Extraction platform. This transformative partnership with Equinor, a global energy company and recognized leader in renewables and low carbon solutions, validates our strategic path to leverage our Smackover resources and become a globally significant contributor within the lithium market. It strengthens our finances, provides essential expertise, manages risk, and accelerates our progress towards this goal, unlocking long-term value for our shareholders." Salah Gamoudi, CFO of Standard Lithium stated: "Since joining the Company, we've prioritized financial efficiency, by securing capital that was minimally dilutive to our shareholders, but allowed us to ensure project continuity throughout our pursuit of securing a strategic partnership. This approach perfectly aligns with the transformative partnership we've secured with Equinor. It enables us to advance our projects in the most value-accretive way for our shareholders while minimizing dilution, cost of capital, and meaningfully lowers future capital requirements. To further take advantage of this momentum, we recently established an office in Austin, Texas. This move enables us to attract top energy sector talent, and allows us to best serve our field and plant employees and communities. Building on our existing strong team with this expertise will empower us to accelerate our execution and advance our projects toward Final Investment Decisions all while collaborating with stakeholders to establish a global model for sustainable development in this uniquely suited region." Highlights of the Third Fiscal Quarter Ended March 31, 2024 Installed the first commercial-scale direct lithium extraction ("DLE") column in partnership with Koch Technology Solutions ("KTS"). The Company installed a commercial-scale DLE column at its Demonstration Plant near El Dorado, Arkansas. The column is a Li-Pro™ Lithium Selective Sorption ("LSS") unit supplied by KTS. The Company intends to test and derisk the LSS unit for commercial use at its Smackover projects. Advanced the South West Arkansas Project ("SWA") with engineering firm selection. The Company selected Ausenco Engineering Canada ULC to lead the front-end engineering design ("FEED") and the Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS"). The Company ...