Albemarle, an American speciality chemicals company, has announced a significant expansion of its Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia. The plant’s production capacity will double from 50,000 tonnes per year to 100,000 tonnes per year, making Albemarle the largest lithium producer in Australia. The company expects the expansion to support the production of approximately 2.4 million electric vehicles per year and to create around 370 new jobs by 2026.
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The Kemerton plant, which has been under construction since 2019, will now have two additional processing trains, on top of the two existing trains on-site, to process battery-grade lithium hydroxide from the Greenbushes mine. Albemarle CEO Kent Masters explains, “Australia is essential to the global supply chain for energy storage and an important part of our diverse portfolio. Our decision to expand was driven by our confidence in future demand and allows us to offer customers additional supply from Greenbushes, well known as one of the world’s best lithium mines.”
The announcement does not disclose how much Albemarle will invest in the expansion, only that it is “the largest investment by a company in the downstream processing of lithium in Australia.” The Kemerton plant’s expansion follows Albemarle’s March announcement of a new lithium processing plant in South Carolina, USA, which is set to start construction in late 2024.
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As the world shifts towards cleaner energy sources, demand for electric vehicles is rapidly increasing, and lithium plays a crucial role in their production. The expansion of Albemarle’s Kemerton plant and the construction of its new plant in South Carolina are essential steps towards meeting this growing demand and securing a reliable global supply chain for energy storage.