Rockwood to start work on North Carolina lithium expansion

05 October 2010 14:41  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS)--Rockwood Holdings is set to start construction work on its planned expansion of lithium production operations at Kings Mountain, North Carolina, the US-based specialty chemical company said on Tuesday.

When completed in 2012, the expansion project by Rockwood's Chemetall Foote subsidiary would be “a state-of-the-art facility” to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide, Rockwood said.

The project would create 22 new permanent jobs, the company said without disclosing capacity details.

Rockwood added that the project was funded in part by a $28.4m (€20.7m) grant from the US Department of Energy under the Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which provides up to $2bn in federal funding for electric-vehicle battery production.

Kay Hagan, Democratic US senator for North Carolina, said: “This Recovery Act grant will give the company the resources to increase the quality of lithium for next-generation batteries, which will create high-tech manufacturing jobs in our state.”

“This funding is an investment in battery technology that will help power electric cars and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil," she added.

($1 = €0.73)

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By: Stefan Baumgarten
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