Located in California's Imperial County, Hell's Kitchen is an ambitious project by Controlled Thermal Resources Holdings. It will recover lithium from geothermal brines using renewable energy and steam to produce “green” battery-grade lithium products in a fully integrated process. This eliminates the need for evaporation brine ponds, open pit mines and fossil-fueled lithium processing.
“The foundation of our industry-leading decarbonization drive includes low-emissions production and sustainable supply as the building blocks for our electric vehicles,” Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said. “The latest agreement with CTR is an important step in our care for our customers and our planet as we work to provide clean, safe and affordable mobility in North America.”
In addition to the investment announcement, the companies have also expanded the initial supply agreement. The revised agreement now stipulates that CTR will supply up to 65,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) annually for a duration of 10 years. This new agreement incorporates the original lithium supply agreement signed by both companies in June 2022 for up to 25,000 metric tons of LHM per year.
As part of the Dare Forward 2030 plan, Stellantis aims to achieve a 100% BEV sales mix for passenger cars in Europe and a 50% BEV sales mix for passenger cars and light-duty trucks in the US by 2030. To meet these targets, the company is securing around 400 GWh of battery capacity, supported by six battery manufacturing plants in North America and Europe. Stellantis is also on track to become a carbon net zero corporation by 2038.
CTR will begin supplying battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate to Stellantis in 2027. The company anticipates creating 480 construction jobs through project labor agreements and over 940 direct project jobs upon full development.
Source: Stellantis
