The brief

Analyst view

• Founded in 1887; acquired Ethyl in 1962 and spun off as Albemarle in 1994.
• Operates salt-brine and hard-rock lithium mining and refining on three continents.
• Kings Mountain mine will produce 50 kt LCE annually, supporting ~1.2M electric vehicles.

Technical approach

As reported

Mining

Salt brines and hard rock

Salt-brine evaporation is cheap; hard rock is more controllable.

Conversion

Battery-grade chemicals

Refining to lithium carbonate and hydroxide; integrated control cuts supply risk.