Redwood Materials has started operations at its new 600-acre campus in Berkeley County, South Carolina, marking a major step in expanding domestic recovery and refining of key battery materials including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper.
The company said the facility will initially add 20,000 metric tonnes of annual materials production. “This is a small but significant start toward what will become one of the world’s largest recovery, refining, and manufacturing campuses,” Redwood stated.
See also: Redwood Materials Raises $350 Million to Power AI Data Centers with Repurposed EV Batteries
The so-called “Battery Materials Campus,” first announced in 2022, is part of the company’s long-term effort to build a circular supply chain for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. At launch, Redwood Materials emphasized the facility’s potential to enhance the U.S. economy and national security by reducing dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals.
“America runs on critical materials: cobalt, lithium, nickel, and copper,” the company said. “They are the backbone of our modern economy, powering everything from computers and smartphones to energy storage, defence systems, and AI data centres.”
See also: GM Expands Battery Supply to Redwood Materials for Energy Storage Projects
Redwood Materials said it currently processes about 90% of all lithium-ion batteries recycled in North America, with its Nevada campus producing more than 60,000 tonnes of materials last year. The company added that it is now on par with the largest U.S. source of nickel and is the only domestic supplier of cobalt at scale.
“This isn’t just an economic issue; it’s a matter of national security,” Redwood said, noting that nickel and cobalt are vital for aerospace and defence alloys, while copper supports industrial wiring and semiconductor manufacturing. Over the next decade, Redwood plans to expand capacity in South Carolina and create more than 1,500 jobs.
