LG Chem breaks ground in Tennessee

Korea’s LG Chem has broken ground on a nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminium cathode materials facility on a 170 hectare site in Clarksville, Tennessee. Starting in 2026, this will supply 60,000 tonnes/year of battery materials, enough for about 600,000 electric vehicles, and will be the largest of its type in the US.

The initial investment is about $1.6 billion. The company said that it plans to diversify the site’s product portfolio through future-generation products and expand capacity in response to demand. In 2022, it signed a comprehensive agreement with General Motors for the long-term supply of 950,000 tonnes of materials. A $2.5 billion North American contract with Toyota followed in October 2023.

LG Chem added that it will enhance the plants competitiveness by improving engineering technology in the calcination process to give each line 10,000 tonnes/year of capacity. It will also automate the entire production process and establish a quality analysis and control system. The plant will run entirely on renewable energy, including solar and hydro power, from local companies.