EV Metals Group, an Australian battery materials company, has acquired 127 hectares of land in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia, to build a battery chemical processing facility.
The complex, which will be divided into different plants, will process raw materials from Western Australia to produce high-purity chemicals for EV batteries containing lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and other metals.
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Construction is set to start in Q3 of this year and the production of lithium hydroxide is expected to begin in 2026 with an initial capacity of 50,000 tons and later, 150,000 tons per year. The complex will serve demand from EV and battery cell manufacturers in Europe, North America, and locally in Saudi Arabia.
EVM Arabia, the subsidiary of EV Metals Group, has received an environmental permit and a gas and electricity allocation from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy to cover the energy needs of lithium hydroxide production.
The chairman of EVM Arabia, Michael Naylor, stated that the complex is strategically located to offer stable and transparent supply chains. The company recently acquired assets from Johnson Matthey for £50 million after the British firm withdrew from the battery materials business.
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“Our Battery Chemicals Complex is strategically located to serve demand for high purity chemicals from electric vehicle and battery cell manufacturers both locally and from target markets in Europe and North America looking for stable and transparent supply chains,” says Michael Naylor, Chairman of EVM Arabia and Managing Director and CEO of EVM Group.
