$2.5 Billion for Lithium: Pentagon, Department of Energy Funnel Billions Into U.S. Projects Before Hurricane Helene Flood Disaster, Fueling Online Speculation
See the list breaking down each project.
The U.S. Department of Energy and the Pentagon have spent over $2.5 billion on lithium mining and battery projects in the lead-up to the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
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The death toll has risen to 215, with hundreds still missing, and survivors are in desperate need of food, water, power, and cellphone service.
Meanwhile, a sinister theory is gaining traction online, suggesting the government may use the devastation in North Carolina, which contains valuable lithium deposits, to seize land for lithium mining.
The theory speculates that corporate interests tied to global battery demand, driven by so-called “climate change” initiatives, may have influenced the events, as the U.S. continues its massive investment in lithium despite the ongoing disaster.
A Twitter (X) post with over 3 million views by user @eveforamerica features a video of a woman suggesting that Hurricane Helene’s devastation of an area with large lithium deposits in North Carolina may allow the government to seize land for lithium mining, with man-made weather modification and corporate interests (like BlackRock and Vanguard) possibly influencing events.
Incidentally, much of the U.S. agency funds for lithium projects are allocated from the ‘Defense Production Act,’ which states that “the security of the United States is dependent on the ability of the domestic industrial base to supply materials and services for the national defense and to prepare for and respond to military conflicts, natural or man-caused disasters, or acts of terrorism within the United States.”
This quote from the Defense Production Act is significant in light of the conspiracy theory, as it mentions responding to both “man-caused” and “natural disasters,” fueling speculation that the devastation in lithium-rich North Carolina could be used as a pretext for government or corporate interests to exploit the region for lithium mining.
Globally, McKinsey & Co. projects the battery market could grow over 30% annually, exceeding $400 billion and 4.7 terawatt hours by 2030, driven largely by lithium demand.
This massive spending on lithium-related projects by both the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense has only fueled speculation and outrage, as critics question the government’s priorities amidst the ongoing crisis.
Here’s a breakdown of the government’s lithium investments across the United States according to the DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains and recent Pentagon press releases (here; here; here; here):
Department of Defense Lithium Projects: $134.7 Million
Lithium Nevada Corporation (Lithium Nevada)
Project: Accelerate Development of Domestic Lithium Carbonate Processing and Production
Federal Cost Share: $11.8 million
Location: McDermitt Caldera, Humboldt County, Nevada
Focus: Lithium carbonate extraction and processing.
Albemarle Corporation
Project: Expansion of Domestic Lithium Mining for U.S. Battery Supply Chains
Federal Cost Share: $90 million
Location: Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Focus: Reopening and expansion of domestic lithium mining.
Nano One Materials Corp.
Project: Increase Production of Active Materials for Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Cathodes
Federal Cost Share: $12.9 million
Location: Candiac, Québec and Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Focus: Production of active materials for LFP cathodes.
Electra Battery Materials Corporation
Project: Establish Sustainable Cobalt Sulfate Production for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Federal Cost Share: $20 million
Location: Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, Canada
Focus: Production of cobalt sulfate, a critical material for lithium-ion batteries.
Department of Energy Lithium Projects: $2,388,374,071
American Battery Technology Company
Project: Commercial Scale Battery Recycling Facility
Location: South Carolina
Federal Cost Share: $150,000,000
Albemarle U.S., Inc.
Project: Lithium Metal Anode for Advanced Batteries
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina region
Federal Cost Share: $67,075,044
SWA Lithium LLC
Project: Commercial Domestic Production of Lithium Carbonate
Location: Lewisville, Arkansas
Federal Cost Share: $225,000,000
TerraVolta Resources
Project: Commercial Scale Lithium Extraction Facility
Location: Texarkana region, Arkansas
Federal Cost Share: $225,000,000
Element 25 (Louisiana) LLC
Project: High Purity Manganese Sulfate Monohydrate for Lithium-ion Batteries
Location: Baton Rouge area, Louisiana
Federal Cost Share: $166,128,094
Li Industries, Inc.
Project: Direct Recycling-Enabled Lithium Iron Phosphate Manufacturing
Location: Kettering, Ohio
Federal Cost Share: $55,243,798
Albemarle U.S. Inc.
Project: Kings Mountain Lithium Materials Processing Plant
Location: Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Federal Cost Share: $149,658,312
American Battery Technology Company
Project: Lithium Hydroxide from Unconventional Domestic Resources
Location: Near Tonopah, Nevada
Federal Cost Share: $57,744,831
Koura (Orbia Fluorinated Solutions)
Project: Lithium Hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) Manufacturing Plant
Location: St. Gabriel, Louisiana
Federal Cost Share: $100,000,000
Forge Battery
Project: Commercial Deployment of Advanced Lithium-ion Battery Production Facility
Location: Morrisville, North Carolina
Federal Cost Share: $100,000,000
Ascend Elements
Project: Integrated Sustainable Battery Precursor Production (including Lithium)
Location: Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Federal Cost Share: $316,186,575
Cirba Solutions
Project: Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Expansion
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Federal Cost Share: $74,999,925
ICL-IP America Inc.
Project: Lithium Iron Phosphate Cathode Powder Production
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Federal Cost Share: $197,338,492
Solid Power Operating, Inc.
Project: Continuous Production of Sulfide-based Solid Electrolyte Materials for Advanced All-Solid-State Batteries
Location: Thornton, Colorado
Federal Cost Share: $50,000,000
Form Energy, Inc.
Project: Realizing Advanced Production of Iron-Air Batteries
Location: Weirton, West Virginia
Federal Cost Share: $150,000,000
6K Inc.
Project: Plasma Low-Cost Ultra Sustainable Cathode Active Material
Location: Jackson, Tennessee
Federal Cost Share: $50,000,000
NOVONIX Anode Materials LLC
Project: Synthetic Graphite Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Federal Cost Share: $100,000,000
Talon Nickel (USA) LLC
Project: Advanced Domestic Battery Minerals Processing Facility
Location: Mercer County, North Dakota
Federal Cost Share: $114,846,344
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