Lithium: Tianqi produces Australia’s first battery hydroxide

Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia announced Wednesday the first production of battery lithium from its Kwinana plant in Western Australia, marking the first time that battery lithium, or lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), has been produced in Australia in commercial quantities.

TLEA is a joint venture between one of the world’s leading producers of lithium chemicals for electric vehicle batteries, Tianqi Lithium Corporation (51 percent), and Australian miner IGO Limited (49 percent).

This is an important step for the Australian mining industry as it expands to meet the rapidly growing demand for rechargeable batteries, especially in the electric vehicle and energy storage systems sector.

TLEA has the first lithium hydroxide plant in Australia and the largest in the world built and operated outside of China. Lithium hydroxide produced at the Kwinana plant will be transferred in containers and exported from the Port of Fremantle to customers around the world.