.PippaStevens13 takes us inside the only lithium producer in the U.S., which provides the material used in Tesla's EV batteries.
Lithium's unique properties make it the common denominator across battery technologies. Forecasts for just how much will be needed in the decades to come vary. Under the International Energy Agency's most ambitious climate scenario, lithium supply will have to grow fortyfold by 2040 from today's levels.
"The U.S. is at the start of really expanding and developing its supply chain domestically for this critical mineral lithium, as well as the broader supply chain for electric vehicles and electrification," said Karen Narwold, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Albemarle.From hundreds of feet underground to your car
About halfway through the process, lime is pumped through the brine, which separates out magnesium that's found alongside the lithium. Once the brine has moved through all 23 ponds, the remaining lithium is chemically processed into a white powder form known as lithium carbonate. One of the intermediate-stage ponds at Albemarle's lithium facility. As the brine becomes more concentrated with lithium the pools take on more of a turquoise color.The surge in lithium demand comes from countries and companies doubling down on climate goals in the past few years. That includes automakers, which are announcing ambitious all-electric fleets.
Lithium Americas has been trying for more than a decade to get production going at its Thacker Pass clay mine in Nevada, against opposition from environmentalists and Native American tribes. Piedmont Lithium is in the process of developing a spodumene mine in North Carolina, which it hopes will begin producing by 2026.
Recycling could also become an option — Albemarle is one of the companies working on this — but the market hasn't yet reached critical mass. Technologies are also being developed to make operations more efficient so that mines yield as much as possible.Silver Peak is Albemarle's largest U.S. lithium production site at present, but it constitutes only a small portion of the company's overall lithium production.
By the end of this year Albemarle will be pumping at 20,000 acre feet annually, which is equivalent to roughly 18.5 million gallons of water per day. That represents the full extent of Albemarle's water rights, which is also the entirety of the rights available in the Clayton Valley. During the second quarter, Albemarle said, net sales from its lithium division jumped 178% year over year. The company raised its full-year guidance three times between May and August, when Albemarle posted second-quarter results. The company will report third-quarter earnings on Nov. 2.
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