ICL breaks ground in St. Louis on a $400 million battery materials manufacturing plant.

ICL, a specialised minerals firm, announced the launching of its battery materials manufacturing plant in St. Louis, which will be the first large-scale lithium iron phosphate (LFP) facility in the United States. The $400 million plant, which is expected to be operational by 2025, will assist fulfil the growing demand for crucial battery materials produced and sourced in the United States from the energy storage, electric vehicle (EV), and clean-energy industries. The $197 million grant from the US Department of Energy supplemented ICL’s investment in the plant.

“ICL is excited to be building the first North American, commercial-scale plant for this critical component required by the energy-storage, mobility, and infrastructure end-markets, and we’re proud to make this investment in St. Louis and to create more than 150 high-paying union and professional positions in our hometown,” said Phil Brown, president of the company’s Phosphate Division and managing director of North America for ICL. “We’re excited about the demand for this capacity that we’re already seeing and are looking forward to expanding into this new market.” Furthermore, as we move forward, we hope to collaborate with some of the most prominent players in this exciting new business.”

The 140,000-square-foot facility, which will serve as the backbone for the company’s global battery materials business, is scheduled to produce 30,000 metric tonnes of LFP. The new facility will be built on ICL’s current Carondelet campus in St. Louis, which has been designated as a disadvantaged community by the Justice40 Initiative.