Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 6 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 4 related plants in PECWeb
Released October 21, 2022 | SUGAR LAND
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. government is backing the efforts of two U.S.-based companies that specialize in the development of lithium technology. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently awarded grants of nearly $150 million each to Piedmont Lithium (NASDAQ:PLL) (Bessemer City, North Carolina) and Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) (Charlotte, North Carolina) to develop a pair of lithium-development facilities, which will cater to the electrical grid and the growing market for electric vehicles (EVs). Industrial Info is tracking $1.95 billion and $2.33 billion in active projects from Piedmont and Albemarle, respectively.
The awards are part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to expand domestic manufacturing of battery materials for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid. Piedmont and Albemarle are among 20 companies that will receive a combined $2.8 billion to build and expand commercial-scale facilities in 12 states "to extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials, manufacture components, and demonstrate new approaches, including manufacturing components from recycled materials," according to the DOE's website.
"This funding is going to supercharge an already supercharged market for battery material supply in the U.S.," said Joe Govreau, Industrial Info's Vice President of Research for the Metals & Minerals Industry.
Click on the image at right for a map of the locations for the DOE-backed Piedmont and Albemarle projects.
Piedmont's $141.7 million grant is directed toward its Tennessee Lithium project in Etowah and McMinn County, Tennessee, the bulk of which comprises its Lithium Hydroxide Production Plant No. 2. The plant will use leach-extraction technology developed by Metso Outotec (Helsinki, Finland) to produce 30,000 tons per year of battery-grade lithium hydroxide over a 30-year mine life. Now in its design phase, the project is slated to begin construction in the fourth quarter of 2023.
"The U.S. government is putting investment dollars behind its policies to support energy independence and national security, and we are grateful to be selected to help spur critical, domestic development of the EV battery supply chain," said Keith Phillips, the chief executive officer of Piedmont Lithium, in a press release, noting that China presently accounts for more than 80% of today's lithium hydroxide production.
The feedstock for the Tennessee project likely will be 196,000 tons per year of spodumene concentrate, sourced from mines abroad. These include its lithium mine and mill in La Corne, Quebec, which it co-owns with Sayona Mining Limited (Milton, Queensland). Piedmont and Sayona are restarting and expanding the mine to produce 163,000 tons per year of spodumene concentrate. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can learn more from detailed reports on the Tennessee Lithium and La Corne mining projects.
Piedmont is planning to develop its own source of spodumene concentrate at is $580 million Bessemer City Carolina Lithium Mine & Concentrator in Gaston County, North Carolina; much of the mineral will be processed into lithium hydroxide at an adjacent, $408 million conversion plant. The projects were expected to kick off in July 2022, before being delayed to 2024, and it is not yet known how the DOE grant might further affect the schedules. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the mine and conversion plant.
Albemarle's grant, which is just shy of $150 million, is directed toward the company's proposed restart of an open-pit mine and construction of a concentrator in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Albemarle expects the facility, which has been closed since 1980, will produce up to 350,000 metric tons per year of spodumene concentrate. The product is expected to fuel a separate Albemarle project: its "mega-flex" lithium conversion facility, which is proposed to produce up to 100,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium per year, in turn supporting the domestic manufacturing of up to 1.6 million EVs per year.
"Expanding our U.S. footprint also increases the speed of lithium processing and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from long-distance transportation of raw minerals," said Kent Masters, the chief executive officer of Albemarle, in a press release. "We hope this project spurs additional investment by others in the domestic EV battery supply chain, such as cathode manufacturers, battery makers, and auto manufacturers." Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's reports on Albemarle's mine and concentrator and conversion facility.
The DOE's grants follow its request for information (RFI) in August for input on advancing the domestic sourcing and production of lithium and other critical minerals, including rare-earth elements, nickel and cobalt, that are key to clean-energy technologies. For more information, see August 12, 2022, article - DOE Seeks Input on Critical Minerals Program.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports on active projects from Piedmont Lithium, and click here for a full list of active projects from Albemarle.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
The awards are part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to expand domestic manufacturing of battery materials for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid. Piedmont and Albemarle are among 20 companies that will receive a combined $2.8 billion to build and expand commercial-scale facilities in 12 states "to extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials, manufacture components, and demonstrate new approaches, including manufacturing components from recycled materials," according to the DOE's website.
"This funding is going to supercharge an already supercharged market for battery material supply in the U.S.," said Joe Govreau, Industrial Info's Vice President of Research for the Metals & Minerals Industry.
Click on the image at right for a map of the locations for the DOE-backed Piedmont and Albemarle projects.Piedmont's $141.7 million grant is directed toward its Tennessee Lithium project in Etowah and McMinn County, Tennessee, the bulk of which comprises its Lithium Hydroxide Production Plant No. 2. The plant will use leach-extraction technology developed by Metso Outotec (Helsinki, Finland) to produce 30,000 tons per year of battery-grade lithium hydroxide over a 30-year mine life. Now in its design phase, the project is slated to begin construction in the fourth quarter of 2023.
"The U.S. government is putting investment dollars behind its policies to support energy independence and national security, and we are grateful to be selected to help spur critical, domestic development of the EV battery supply chain," said Keith Phillips, the chief executive officer of Piedmont Lithium, in a press release, noting that China presently accounts for more than 80% of today's lithium hydroxide production.
The feedstock for the Tennessee project likely will be 196,000 tons per year of spodumene concentrate, sourced from mines abroad. These include its lithium mine and mill in La Corne, Quebec, which it co-owns with Sayona Mining Limited (Milton, Queensland). Piedmont and Sayona are restarting and expanding the mine to produce 163,000 tons per year of spodumene concentrate. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can learn more from detailed reports on the Tennessee Lithium and La Corne mining projects.
Piedmont is planning to develop its own source of spodumene concentrate at is $580 million Bessemer City Carolina Lithium Mine & Concentrator in Gaston County, North Carolina; much of the mineral will be processed into lithium hydroxide at an adjacent, $408 million conversion plant. The projects were expected to kick off in July 2022, before being delayed to 2024, and it is not yet known how the DOE grant might further affect the schedules. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the mine and conversion plant.
Albemarle's grant, which is just shy of $150 million, is directed toward the company's proposed restart of an open-pit mine and construction of a concentrator in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Albemarle expects the facility, which has been closed since 1980, will produce up to 350,000 metric tons per year of spodumene concentrate. The product is expected to fuel a separate Albemarle project: its "mega-flex" lithium conversion facility, which is proposed to produce up to 100,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium per year, in turn supporting the domestic manufacturing of up to 1.6 million EVs per year.
"Expanding our U.S. footprint also increases the speed of lithium processing and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from long-distance transportation of raw minerals," said Kent Masters, the chief executive officer of Albemarle, in a press release. "We hope this project spurs additional investment by others in the domestic EV battery supply chain, such as cathode manufacturers, battery makers, and auto manufacturers." Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's reports on Albemarle's mine and concentrator and conversion facility.
The DOE's grants follow its request for information (RFI) in August for input on advancing the domestic sourcing and production of lithium and other critical minerals, including rare-earth elements, nickel and cobalt, that are key to clean-energy technologies. For more information, see August 12, 2022, article - DOE Seeks Input on Critical Minerals Program.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports on active projects from Piedmont Lithium, and click here for a full list of active projects from Albemarle.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
