Albemarle Corp said it has chosen Chester County, South Carolina, as the site for a $1.3 billion lithium processing plant that it hopes will cement its position as a cornerstone of the fast-growing United States. fast. tram industry.
The facility, which was first announced last year without a specific location, will double the company’s lithium processing capacity and thus increase its capacity to supply key customers – including Tesla Inc – who are hungry for more North American supplies of battery metal.
Already the world’s largest lithium producer with main facilities in Chile, China And AustraliaAlbemarle has aggressively expanded its operations in the United States, which is seen as the next major growth area thanks to tax credits and other incentives offered by the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
The South Carolina plant will be able to process 50,000 tons of lithium per year from rock that Albemarle plans to mine in North Carolina as well as from recycled batteries. That’s about enough white metal to generate 2.4 EVs per year.
“This facility will help ramp up production of U.S.-based lithium sources to drive the clean energy revolution while bringing us closer to our customers as the supply chain is built in North America. America,” Albemarle CEO Kent Masters said in a statement.
Construction on the 800-acre project is expected to begin late next year, although the company did not give a timeline for when the site will open. The factory should employ 300 workers with an average annual salary of $93,000.
The company received a lithium disposal grant last year from the White House. Despite the recent drop in lithium prices, Albemarle said it expected demand to continue to grow.
