Powering the U.S. Electric Vehicle Revolution
from from McMinn County, Tennessee
The growing demand for electric vehicles is driving the future of America’s energy security. More electric vehicles on roadways means more lithium-ion batteries to power them. Today, China produces about 80% of the world’s battery-grade lithium, while the United States only produces approximately 2% of the global supply.¹
As America races to develop a robust, domestic battery supply chain, the team at Piedmont Lithium is charging ahead to become a leading producer of lithium hydroxide. With a powerful purpose, we are working to develop our global lithium business to support the planet’s decarbonization, U.S. energy independence, and Tennessee’s growing electrification economy.
We’re proud to call the City of Etowah and McMinn County home to our planned Tennessee Lithium project. Through Tennessee Lithium, we aim to significantly increase the current American production capacity of lithium hydroxide, while operating as one of the world’s most sustainable projects of its kind.
1 Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
Tennessee Lithium:
Our Lithium Hydroxide Conversion Facility
We are designing Tennessee Lithium as a world-class lithium hydroxide facility, which we believe will play a key role in increasing the domestic production capacity for battery-grade lithium resources.
At steady state operations, we expect to produce 30,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year. This capacity would more than double the current American production capacity of approximately 20,000 metric tons1 annually and greatly contribute to U.S. energy security. Our expected annual production volume is enough to supply 600,000 electric vehicle batteries per year² to help drive the electrification of transportation.
We hold all the material permits needed to begin construction at Tennessee Lithium and have exercised our option to purchase the project site. We’ve also entered into a purchase agreement for the adjacent Waupaca foundry and closed on the associated landfill to leverage this existing infrastructure and facilities as part our greenfield project plans.
We are now in the funding and engineering-design phase of Tennessee Lithium and look forward to advancing toward construction when those plans are finalized.
1 Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
2 Based on 50 KWh per vehicle as forecasted by Rho Motion
Estimated Project Timeline
1Subject to funding and the supply chain
Lithium Hydroxide Production in Tennessee
Piedmont Lithium is a hard rock lithium producer, which involves creating battery grade lithium from a concentrated rock that contains lithium-bearing spodumene ore. We have an offtake agreement with the Ewoyaa Lithium Project in Ghana, West Africa, where our partners plan to mine for spodumene ore and crush and filter the ore to produce spodumene concentrate.
Resources from the Ewoyaa project are expected to feed our Tennessee Lithium operation, where we plan to convert the spodumene concentrate to lithium hydroxide with an innovative process that uses primarily steam and pressure. Our final product will be battery-grade lithium, a salt-like, non-flammable, non-hazardous compound, for U.S. EV and battery manufacturers.
Creating New Opportunities for McMinn County
Industrial Investment
in McMinn County¹
Capital Investment²
Direct Jobs²
1 McMinn County Economic Development Authority
² Piedmont Lithium Definitive Feasibility Study of Tennessee Lithium project