Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King has welcomed Albemarle Corporation's announcement that it will build two additional processing trains at its lithium hydroxide plant in Kemerton, south of Perth.
Minister King said the investment signifies Australia's growing importance in the international critical minerals industry and underlines Western Australia's role in global efforts to reach net zero.
The investment by the US based company, valued at up to US$1.5 billion, represents the biggest investment by any company in downstream processing of lithium in Australia and would make Albemarle the largest producer of lithium in Australia.
"This announcement is significant for Western Australia and highlights Australia's growing importance in critical minerals supply chains," Minister King said.
"With its wealth of resources, positive investment settings and highly skilled workforce, Australia is well placed to become a renewable energy superpower.
"Global demand for resources like critical minerals needed for electric vehicles and battery technologies is increasing as the world moves to decarbonise, and Australia has remarkable potential to meet this demand."
The expansion will make Albemarle the largest producer of lithium in Australia, allowing additional supply of spodumene from the Greenbushes mine for processing at Kemerton.
Work will begin immediately and at peak about 1000 workers will be employed in construction, meaning significant opportunities for local businesses.
