Spotlight On: Albemarle Lithium
Location: Wellesley
It’s the resource everybody needs, whether they realise it or not, and the Harvey Region is at the centre of this new world.
Lithium is driving the future of global energy storage and electric transport solutions. The US giant, Albemarle Corporation, commenced construction in 2019 at the Harvey Region’s Kemerton Strategic Industrial Area to develop the $1 billion+ lithium hydroxide plant processing material from the Greenbushes lithium mine.
In 2023, they announced the decision to expand Kemerton operations to increase the lithium hydroxide production capacity at the facility to power an estimated 2.4 million electric vehicles annually.
This 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.
Albemarle is already a significant employer in the region with more than 580 operational staff currently and additional employees needed to operate the site once expansion is complete. We are committed to employing locally as a priority.
Beverley East, Vice President External Affairs Australia, Albemarle Australia
