Tesla Begins Operations at New Lithium Refinery in Texas
Tesla has officially commenced operations at its new lithium refining facility in Robstown, Texas, marking a major milestone over a year after breaking ground on the project. On Saturday, Tesla's North America account announced via X that the team had successfully fed raw materials through the kiln for the first time at the site, which is located just outside Corpus Christi.
The Robstown facility is the first large-scale refinery in the U.S. dedicated to producing battery-grade lithium and represents Tesla’s industrial deployment of an acid-free lithium refining process. The company initially highlighted this innovation when announcing the project, positioning the site as a key component of its broader mission to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy.
“This investment is critical to our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy and represents our efforts to aggressively increase the supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide available in North America,” Tesla stated.
Once fully operational, the refinery is expected to produce approximately 50 GWh of battery-grade lithium annually, a crucial step in supporting domestic electric vehicle (EV) battery production. Tesla is actively hiring at the Robstown facility, with open positions listed on the company’s careers page.
Construction on the $375 million site began in May 2023, with Tesla making steady progress throughout the year. While initial production had been targeted for Q1 2024, the facility’s launch represents significant progress as North America aims to reduce reliance on China for critical mineral processing. Tesla’s refinery marks a pivotal move toward building a localized EV supply chain, as efforts to scale lithium production and refining domestically continue across the U.S.
The project also aligns with broader strategies in North America and Europe to secure critical minerals for EV batteries. China currently dominates global lithium chemical output, accounting for around two-thirds of production. Lithium is essential for EV batteries and widely used in consumer electronics, including phones and computers.
