Albemarle Urges US to Cut Red Tape to Boost Lithium Supply Chain
Executive of top lithium miner says it’s vital the US government help miners by making it easier to bring domestic battery metals to market.
Brine pools at the Albemarle Corp. Lithium mine in Calama, Antofagasta region, Chile.
Photographer: Cristobal Olivares/BloombergThe world’s largest lithium producer is urging the US government to cut red tape to accelerate a build-out of a domestic supply chain for materials needed for batteries, electric vehicles and cleaner technologies while cutting dependence on China.
China has more than half of all capacity for refining lithium into chemicals that are used to make batteries that power EVs. Its dominance has sparked concerns in the US and with other countries competing to secure supplies of the key battery metals—which also include nickel and cobalt—needed in a global push to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources.