#Tesla Fires Up #America’s First Major #Lithium Refinery
The Tesla Lithium Refinery just outside of Corpus Christi, Texas, is another step toward the U.S. goal of having domestic refined lithium resources to counter China’s market dominance.
The refinery converts spodumene ore directly into battery-grade lithium hydroxide, in a first-of-its-kind process in North America.
Tesla uses a new technology platform that allows a cleaner, simpler, and cheaper process to obtain battery-grade lithium from the raw material, spodumene ore, says Jason Bevan, Site Manager for Tesla’s Gulf Coast Lithium Refinery.
The U.S. Administration is increasingly looking to have a direct equity involvement in America’s critical minerals supply chain, in the race to close the gap with China.
Direct Administration bets on lithium mining projects were a key theme in the sector last year.
For example, the Department of Energy (DOE) has agreed to provide a $2.26 billion loan to Vancouver-based Lithium Americas Corp. to help it complete a major lithium project in Humboldt County in northern Nevada.
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