Global specialty chemicals manufacturer Albemarle Corporation has announced that it has acquired a location in Charlotte, North Carolina where it will invest at least US$180m to establish the Albemarle Technology Park (ATP), a facility designed for novel materials research, advanced process development, and acceleration of next-generation lithium products to market.
The company anticipates that innovations from the new site will enhance lithium recovery, improve production methods, and introduce new forms of lithium to enable breakthrough levels of battery performance.
“Albemarle Technology Park is part of our mine-to-market innovation strategy to invest in the US EV battery supply chain and to be a leader in advanced lithium materials for next-generation energy storage,” said Kent Masters, Albemarle CEO. “This facility will focus and accelerate our lithium technology leadership, better enabling the world’s transition to more sustainable energy.”
Albemarle was awarded a near US$13m incentive package from the State of North Carolina to develop the innovation facility in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
The company’s vision for the ATP spans from novel lithium materials and manufacturing processes to new product commercialization in close partnership with strategic customers. By co-locating these critical activities and collaborations, the company expects ATP will become a lithium innovation hub that anchors technology leadership in the Southeast USA, where the EV industry is rapidly expanding.
The company anticipates that enhanced process technologies developed at the ATP will unlock new lithium resources, increase sustainability by reducing energy and water use, and enable lithium recovery at end-of-life through cost-effective recycling.
Completion of the facility is scheduled for late 2026.
