ALBEMARLE, NC – For the past few decades, Nirvana has been the dominant supplier of “lithium” in America, but now it has some serious competition in ’90s grunge bands.
The Albemarle, North Carolina company is the world’s largest producer of lithium for electric vehicle (EV) batteries – and the company recently announced plans for a $1.3 billion lithium processing facility in South Carolina. According to the company’s press release, the “Mega-Flex” factory will produce diverse lithium feedstock that could potentially support the manufacture of an estimated 2.4 million EVs each year.
Albemarle also owns the country’s only active lithium mine, Silver Peak, in Nevada. Silver Peak produces more than 5,500 tons of lithium carbonate per year, enough to power about 80,000 EVs.
The US currently holds just a tiny fraction of the global lithium production pie. Australia, Chile and China will account for about 90% of lithium production in 2021, with the US accounting for just 1%.
“This facility will help scale up production of US-based lithium resources to fuel the clean energy revolution, while the supply chain is built in North America,” Albemarle CEO Kent Masters said in a press release.
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