On April 23, 2026, Century Lithium Corp. (LCE:TSXV; CYDVF:OTCQX) provided shareholders with an update on the location of its lithium extraction facility (demonstration plant) to its new site in Tonopah, Nevada. In another update, the company said market conditions have given its 100%-owned Angel Island lithium project in Esmeralda County, Nevada, due to the rise in global sulphur and sulphuric acid prices.
Century Lithium's demonstration plant has been in operation at the company's Amargosa Valley facility for the past five years and has focused on producing battery-grade lithium carbonate while validating the integrated chlor-alkali process to be used for Angel Island. The company is proceeding with equipment transportation, construction of the new plant, and water pollution control permitting for the move to Tonopah and is targeting commission for 2H 2026.
When the plant is completed, the company plans to conduct structured metallurgical testing per the recommendation of the 2026 feasibility study, which showed that, ". . . the chlor-alkali process's structural insulation from these supply chain forces underpins strong project economics with an after-tax NPV (net present value) of US$4.01 billion and average operating costs of US$4,389 of lithium carbonate." Century Lithium will run full tests on claystone zones 1 and 2, focusing on deeper testing rather than surface testing, and evaluate improvements to leaching, direct lithium extraction (DLE), and lithium carbonate and hydroxide production.
The Angel Island project is built around the company's patent-pending chlor-alkali process, in which ". . . hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) are generated on site from sodium chloride (NaCl) and electricity. HCl leaches lithium from Angel Island claystone; NaOH provides pH control throughout leaching, filtration, and DLE. Both reagents are continuously regenerated as co-products of the electrolytic cells, closing the loop and eliminating reliance on external acid supply chains." The boon of this process is that it does not rely on sulphuric acid and produces co-sulphate byproducts. Century Lithium says that the primary inputs are NaCl and electricity, which are stable and widely available from domestic sources.
In 2026, the global sulphur market has risen sharply in price, with China's spot sulphur price hitting US$950 per tonne — a 283% increase from January 2025. "In the United States, Tampa contract sulphur prices have surged from US$69 per long ton at the start of 2024 to a projected US$475 to US$520 per long ton under Q1 2026 contracts, an increase of approximately 600% in under two years. U.S. sulphuric acid prices have followed, rising from US$85 per tonne in early 2024 to US$146 per tonne by March 2026," according to the company's press release.
Bill Willoughby, President and CEO of Century Lithium, said in the release: "During the last five years, Century Lithium developed an integrated process flow sheet that successfully produced battery-grade lithium carbonate from Angel Island claystone. The patent-pending process uses salt, rather than sulphur-derived reagents, which distinguishes Angel Island from spodumene and most sedimentary lithium projects globally. Moving the demonstration plant to Tonopah lets us show the operating benefits of our chlor-alkali process at a moment when sulphur demand and related reagent costs are rising. Our process was designed for its compatibility with our Angel Island lithium deposit and regionally obtainable resources. As pressures on international supply chains increase, that advantage becomes increasingly meaningful for our shareholders and future customers."
Century Lithium Corp. is a Canadian lithium development company focused on its 100%-owned Angel Island project in Esmeralda County, Nevada.
Lithium Demand Expected to Grow
In an April 1, 2026, editorial feature for AZO Mining, Abdul Ahad Nazakat argued that the lithium market was at a crossroads. Nazakat noted that the metal's mid-2025 price trough had given way to a spike in demand. This spike is largely attributed to Chinese manufacturers tightening overseas exports, as China produces around 50% of the world's lithium.
Market demand is another key factor in pricing. Nazakat wrote: "After 26% demand growth in 2025, the lithium market is expected to see a more moderate pace in 2026. The automotive sector will remain the dominant end-use, accounting for around 60% of total lithium demand, but the share held by energy storage systems (ESS) has climbed from 9 % three years ago to an expected 18% in 2026."
Jennifer L of Carbon Credits reported on March 23, 2026, that lithium's 2026 price surge is due to several factors, led by ". . . the growth in stationary energy storage systems has been rapid. In 2025, demand for lithium in storage applications jumped about 71%, and analysts expect another 55% growth in 2026. As more utilities, data centers, and industrial players adopt battery storage, lithium demand continues to expand beyond just electric vehicles (EVs)."
The article noted that prices may stay high due to supply constraints, saying, "Forecasts for 2026 suggest a shift from surplus to a potential supply deficit of 22,000 to 80,000 metric tons, depending on how quickly new projects come online."
Experts Expect "Smooth Sailing" for Stock
According to FactSet on March 19, 2026:
- Alliance Global Partners analyst Jake Sekelsky gave Century Lithium a 'Buy' rating with a CA$1.25 target price.
- On April 23, 2026, Nobel Capital Markets analyst Mark Reichman gave the company a 'Buy' rating with a CA$4.17 target price.
On April 28, 2026, Caesar's Report wrote an article on the company, saying, "From Y5 on, it will be smooth sailing with almost US$600M in net after-tax free cash flow (not our numbers, but the numbers in the official feasibility study, shown above). Which means this is exactly the type of project (with a manageable capex, low opex, and multi-decade mine life) that larger companies and offtake partners are looking for, to secure a reliable flow of lithium for decades to come." The report went on to say, "With a definitive feasibility study in hand and with a lithium carbonate price that continues to trade above US$20,000 per tonne (and trading above US$25,000/t as recent as last week), Angel Island is one of the most advanced lithium projects in North America."
Streetwise Ownership Overview*
Century Lithium Corp. (LCE:TSXV;CYDVF:OTCQX)
| Date | Old Symbol | Old Shares | New Symbol | New Shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/30/23 | CYP | 1 | LCE | 1 |
| 01/12/15 | CYP | 10 | CYP | 1 |
Near-Future Plans for Century Lithium
The company is currently moving its Angel Island project through the permitting process, and its investor presentation lists the following catalysts:
- Continue to test Li2CO3 with domestic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
- Further evaluation of the economic potential for rare earth elements ("REE") recovery
- Plan of Operations to be completed and filed with the BLM
- Initiate the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") permitting process
- Begin permitting process with the State of Nevada to work concurrently with the federal process.
- Pursue Financial Opportunities
- Continue to work with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) Loan Programs Office
- Department of Defense (DoD) grants
- Engagement of BMO to assist the Strategic Partnership
Ownership & Share Information1
Century Lithium Corp. has a market cap of CA$66.80 million, with 180.53 million shares outstanding. The company's 52-week range is CA$0.23-CA$0.75.
Institutions own 0.11% of shares, while Management & Insiders own 3.67%. The remaining 96.22% of shares are held by Retail.
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Important Disclosures:
- Cori Fisher wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee.
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1. Ownership and Share Structure Information
The information listed above was updated on the date this article was published and was compiled from information from the company and various other data providers.
