Stardust Power Joins Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster to Strengthen American Lithium Supply Chain
Rhea-AI Summary
Stardust Power (NASDAQ: SDST) joined the Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster (LRIC) on April 1, 2026, formalizing participation via a memorandum of understanding. The company said it will contribute midstream refining expertise and engage with peers to support innovation, supply chain resilience, and U.S. lithium capacity growth.
The collaboration aligns with Stardust Power's strategy as it prepares its Muskogee, Oklahoma refinery toward construction and seeks to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
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Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
SDSTW slipped 0.12% while several peers like EPOW, DFLI, FLUX and CCTG appeared on momentum scans with upward moves, indicating today’s lithium-cluster news looks stock-specific rather than part of a broad sector rotation.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 17 | Prelim results & update | Positive | -9.5% | Preliminary 2025 results and detailed Muskogee refinery development progress. |
| Mar 11 | Earnings date set | Neutral | +2.2% | Announcement of year-end 2025 results release date and conference call. |
| Feb 24 | Consortium membership | Positive | +11.7% | Joined Cornerstone Consortium to support U.S. critical minerals resilience. |
| Jan 26 | Exec hire | Positive | +32.7% | Hired experienced General Counsel to support governance and refinery build-out. |
| Jan 20 | Key permit win | Positive | +17.2% | Received final major air permit enabling Muskogee refinery construction and commissioning. |
Stock often reacts positively to project and strategic milestones, with one notable selloff on preliminary results.
Over the past few months, Stardust Power has steadily advanced its Muskogee lithium refinery and corporate platform. On Jan 20, it secured an air quality construction permit for the refinery, followed by a General Counsel hire on Jan 26 and joining the Cornerstone Consortium on Feb 24. Earnings timing was set on Mar 11, and preliminary 2025 results plus Muskogee progress were detailed on Mar 17. Today’s LRIC collaboration fits this pattern of ecosystem-building steps around domestic lithium refining.
Regulatory & Risk Context
The company has an active S-3 shelf registration dated 2025-07-25, currently indicated as not yet effective with no recorded usage. This framework can facilitate future capital raises when activated but provides no detail here on specific capacity or terms.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights Stardust Power’s effort to deepen its role in the U.S. lithium ecosystem by joining the Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster and contributing midstream refining expertise. It complements earlier milestones around the Muskogee refinery, including permitting and consortium participation. Investors may focus on how this collaboration supports technology advancement, supply chain coordination, and the path to construction, while monitoring future updates on financing, project timelines, and operational readiness at the refinery.
Key Terms
battery-grade lithium carbonate technical
lithium value chain technical
memorandum of understanding regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
GREENWICH, Conn., April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stardust Power Inc. (NASDAQ: SDST) (“Stardust Power” or the “Company”), an American developer of battery-grade lithium carbonate, today announced that it has joined the Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster (“LRIC”), a collaborative industry initiative focused on advancing innovation, supply chain resilience, and economic development across the U.S. lithium value chain.
LRIC brings together industry participants, technology providers, academic institutions, and public-sector stakeholders to accelerate the development of a scalable and sustainable U.S. lithium ecosystem. Through this collaboration, Stardust Power will contribute its midstream refining expertise while engaging with peers across the value chain to support innovation and industry best practices.
Participation in LRIC supports Stardust Power’s strategy to advance domestic lithium refining capacity and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains. The collaboration is formalized through a memorandum of understanding.
“Joining LRIC connects Stardust Power to a broader network of industry leaders working to build a resilient U.S. lithium supply chain,” said Roshan Pujari, Founder and CEO of Stardust Power. “As we prepare our Muskogee, Oklahoma refinery toward construction, this collaboration allows us to both contribute our operational perspective and learn from others across the ecosystem. It’s about raising the bar for domestic lithium development and execution.”
“The Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster is proud to welcome Stardust Power as we continue building a more secure and scalable domestic lithium supply chain,” said Florence Meadors, Program Manager of the Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster. “Their focus on midstream refining is a critical component of the U.S. lithium ecosystem, and we look forward to supporting their continued growth.”
Through LRIC, the Company will participate in initiatives focused on advancing lithium processing technologies and strengthening U.S. supply chain coordination.
About Stardust Power
Stardust Power is a developer of battery-grade lithium carbonate designed to bolster America’s energy security through resilient supply chains. The Company plans to build a strategically located lithium refinery in Muskogee, Oklahoma, with the capacity to produce up to 50,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually. Committed to sustainability at every stage, Stardust Power trades on Nasdaq under the ticker “SDST.”
For more information, visit www.stardust-power.com
About Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster
The Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster (“LRIC”) is a U.S. public-private initiative accelerating energy innovation and the EV transition by strengthening the domestic lithium value chain. Recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a distinguished Regional Innovation Cluster, LRIC brings together industry, academia, and innovators to drive technological advancement, foster collaboration, and build a resilient, sustainable lithium supply chain critical to U.S. energy security.
Stardust Power Contacts
For Investors:
Johanna Gonzalez
investor.relations@stardust-power.com
For Media:
Michael Thompson
media@stardust-power.com
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and any oral statements made in connection herewith include “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact, and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions, plans, objectives, goals, prospects, financial results or strategies regarding us and the future held by our management team and the products and markets, future events, future financial condition, expected future revenues or performance, financing needs, our ability to continue as a going concern, business trends and market opportunities of our business, as well as statements regarding the expected capital expenditures, risks, production level, produced lithium quality, project design, feedstock supply, financing arrangements, final investment decision, development, construction, permits and related timelines with respect to the Company’s Muskogee [lithium] refinery. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions, based on currently available information, as to the outcome and timing of future events. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “appears,” “approximately,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “designed,” “effect,” “estimate,” “evaluate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “initiative,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “outlook,“ ”plan,“ ”potential,“ ”priorities,“ ”project,“ ”pursue,“ ”seek,“ ”should,“ ”target,“ ”when,“ ”will,“ ”would,” or the negative of any of those words or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical fact, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. In making these statements, we rely upon beliefs, assumptions and analysis based on our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors we consider appropriate under the circumstances. We believe these beliefs and judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any future events, financial results or outcomes, or the timing of such. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events, results, outcomes and circumstances, and the timing thereof, are difficult or impossible to predict and may differ from our beliefs, assumptions or predictions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond our control.
These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the ability of Stardust Power to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of Stardust Power to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain key relationships and retain its management and key employees; risks related to the price of Stardust Power’s securities, including volatility resulting from recent sales of securities, issuance of debt, and exercise of warrants, changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Stardust Power plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting Stardust Power’s business and changes in the combined capital structure; the regulatory environment and our ability to obtain necessary permits and other governmental approvals for our operation; Stardust Power’s need for substantial additional financing to execute our business plan and our ability to access capital and the financial markets; worldwide growth in the adoption and use of lithium products; the Company’s ability to enter into and realize the anticipated benefits of offtake and license and other commercial agreements; risks related to the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations and identify and realize additional opportunities; the substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and the need to raise capital in the near term in order to maintain the Company’s operations; the Company’s continued listing on the Nasdaq; and those factors described or referenced in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on February 12, 2026 and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, which is expected to be filed with the SEC by March 25, 2026. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, outcomes, performance or achievements, or the timing of such results, outcomes, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that we do not presently know or that we currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results, outcomes, performance or achievements, or the timing of such results, outcomes, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect our expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our assessments to change.
We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or other factors that affect the subject of these statements, except where we are expressly required to do so by law. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
