With the capacity to expand up to 100,000 metric tonnes, the facility is anticipated to produce around 50,000 metric tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide yearly from various sources

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Albemarle announces South Carolina as its selected location to build the Mega-Flex facility. (Credit: Ron de Muijnck/Wikimedia Commons)

US-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Albemarle has announced South Carolina, US, as its selected location to build the $1.3bn Mega-Flex lithium hydroxide processing facility.

To be developed in Chester County, the lithium hydroxide facility is expected to address the increasing demand for domestic and international electric vehicles (EVs) and other energy storage applications that utilise lithium-ion batteries.

According to the company, Mega-Flex will have the capacity to process diverse lithium feedstock, including lithium from recycled batteries.

With the capacity to expand up to 100,000 metric tonnes, the facility is anticipated to produce around 50,000 metric tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide yearly from various sources.

The production at the facility will support the manufacturing of nearly 2.4 million EVs annually, stated Albemarle.

Construction of the Mega-Flex lithium facility is expected to commence in late 2024.

The Mega-Flex lithium hydroxide processing facility will be located on 800 acres near Richburg and is anticipated to generate over 300 jobs.

Besides, the facility is expected to generate more than 1,500 construction jobs.

Chester County has been awarded a $9m grant from the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF) of the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development to help with the costs of mitigation, preparation of the site, and infrastructure improvements.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said: “Albemarle’s new facility will be transformative for our state, creating thousands of good-paying jobs in South Carolina, and help us further our goals of becoming an electric vehicle hub in the United States by being home to companies like Albemarle who are producing strategically critical material vital to the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from electric vehicles to medical devices.

“Advanced manufacturing has long been a part of our economic DNA in South Carolina, and we are proud of the progress we have made over the past three years in attracting businesses across the electric vehicle supply chain that represent the future of the United States economy and the environmental sustainability of the world.”