The US Department of Energy has awarded $500 million to seven companies building domestic critical-minerals processing, battery recycling and advanced battery-material plants. The grants are the third round under the DoE's battery materials and recycling programmes, targeting lithium, cobalt and battery-component supply chains.
The US Department of Energy has awarded $500 million to seven companies developing domestic critical-minerals processing, battery recycling and advanced battery-material projects. The funding, announced on 20 August, is the third round of grants under the DoE's Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing and Recycling programmes.
DoE officials said the projects would expand US processing and recycling capacity and cut reliance on foreign sources. Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary at the DoE, told Reuters that hundreds of applications had come in for this round, and the department picked those it judged most promising.
Lithium and cobalt lead the largest awards
Lilac Solutions will receive $100 million to build a commercial lithium extraction and refining facility on the Great Salt Lake in Utah, using direct lithium extraction technology. The DoE documents put first-phase capacity at 5,000 tonnes a year, with first production targeted for 2028.
Jervois will also receive $100 million to develop a US cobalt refinery producing battery-grade cobalt sulphate, using established refining technology. Battery recycler Nth Cycle rounds out the top tier, receiving $100 million for a south-eastern US facility that will process black mass from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap using its electro-extraction technology.
Four smaller grants target the battery supply chain
Four further projects will each receive $50 million: Princeton NuEnergy for a Georgia demonstration facility recovering nickel-containing cathode material; Coreshell Technologies for US silicon-anode electrode and cell manufacturing; Arcanum Ventures for a Gulf Coast facility producing battery-grade ethylene carbonate; and Elevated Materials for a plant making ultra-thin lithium-metal films.
Robertson said the funding was not linked to the administration's earlier decision to block black-mass exports, but that the US "needs to and will build the ecosystem" to recycle and process batteries domestically. The latest round follows $1.82 billion awarded to 14 projects across the first two funding rounds, covering lithium, graphite, battery components and recycled materials.
Source: Mining Technology
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