Piedmont Lithium plans to construct a second 30,000 mt/year lithium hydroxide conversion plant in the US to meet anticipated demand from its increased portfolio of spodumene supply assets, and a selection process for the project site is underway, the company said Feb. 3.
“Piedmont intends to be America’s dominant lithium hydroxide producer, and our international spodumene investments in 2021 were taken to achieve this ambition,” the company said in a statement. “Key factors for site selection include the infrastructure available, supply logistics, the proximity to prospective automotive and battery customers, and expected permitting needs.”
The company also said it expected to select a final site for the plant in the second quarter.
From its own planned spodumene concentrate production and its 2021 investments linked to potential offtake deals, the lithium producer claimed it has access now or could have access over time to an estimated 500,000 mt/year of spodumene supply for its planned conversion facilities when its projects can be brought into service.
“We are developing our assets at a propitious moment with global sales of electric vehicles having nearly doubled in 2021, and significant investment in battery plants in the US by some of the largest automotive and battery companies,” said the chief executive, Keith Phillips. “This electrification of the automotive market is a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity, and we are uniquely well positioned to capitalize on it.”
Piedmont is now constructing its fully integrated flagship Carolina Lithium project close to Bessemer City, North Carolina, also being forecast to deliver up to 30,000 mt/year lithium hydroxide and 242,000 mt/year spodumene concentrate. The commercial operations of the production complex do not yet have an official launch date.
When it is operational, Carolina Lithium would become the world’s only fully integrated spodumene ore-to-hydroxide project, Piedmont said.
The firm, based in North Carolina, has previously announced investments in Sayona Mining and Atlantic Lithium in 2021 to cement its access to spodumene concentrate supply.
Piedmont has offtake rights to 50% of the spodumene output from the 180,000 mt/year North American Lithium project in Quebec, which it now co-owns with Sayona. Production at the site could start in the first half of 2023.
As part of its investment in Atlantic Lithium, Piedmont is advancing spodumene resources at the Ewoyaa Project in Ghana with first production as early as 2024. Ewoyaa is on track to produce approximately 300,000 mt/year of spodumene concentrate, with an offtake agreement in place for 50% of annual output for Piedmont.
