U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper visited Livent’s Bessemer City plant to tour our manufacturing facility and give remarks on investments in U.S. manufacturing, clean energy, and workforce development. Secretary Yellen and Governor Cooper toured Livent’s industry-leading facilities and met with Livent executives, including Chief Financial Officer, Gilberto Antoniazzi; Chief Operations and Engineering Officer, Barbara Fochtman; Chief Communications Officer and Global Head of Public Affairs, Juan Carlos Cruz; and Chief Strategy Officer, Sarah Maryssael.
Bessemer City is the birthplace of lithium-ion battery technology and an increasingly important supply hub for the growing EV industry. It is the largest lithium hydroxide production site in the United States and one of the few outside of China. Secretary Yellen emphasized the importance of the work being done by Livent in Bessemer City and the vital role the critical minerals industry has in the green economy.
“I’m glad to be here, to discuss the Biden Administration’s investments in manufacturing and to see first hand here at Livent the impacts that these investments are having,” Secretary Yellen said during her remarks. “The IRA is fueling not just investment, but also innovation, at American companies that will help the whole industry advance. Livent’s innovation team is creating, I saw this this morning, cutting-edge lithium products to produce smaller batteries that hold more power and provide more range. This morning I was able to see this printable lithium first-hand. And investments at home help bring down the cost of clean energy technologies globally by as much as 25%, driving increased uptake of clean energy technologies and global emissions reductions.”
Twelve months ago, Livent opened the first new lithium hydroxide production facility in North America in more than a decade. This new facility significantly increased Livent’s lithium hydroxide production capacity in Bessemer City and is part of plans to scale up operations in the U.S. over the coming year. These investments are expected to help create new high-paying jobs and bring long-term economic growth opportunities to the area, the state of North Carolina, and downstream locations across the United States.
“I am grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration that has provided the stimulus for Livent’s expansion and great paying American jobs across this country.” Governor Cooper said. “North Carolina is becoming the epicenter for clean energy in this country. And bipartisan legislation that we passed with the general assembly, we’re now requiring our power sector which produces our electricity to reduce carbon emissions 70% by 2030 and to get to carbon zero by 2050.”
During the visit, Secretary Yellen and Governor Cooper toured Livent’s newest lithium hydroxide plant as well as the cutting-edge Center for Lithium Energy Advanced Research or CLEAR Lab, which is dedicated to finding and rigorously testing new ways to improve energy storage.
“Livent is a proven champion of U.S.-based lithium production, and we strongly support the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Invest in America agenda that Secretary Yellen has championed since taking office. We are honored to host the secretary and show her the critical role of Livent and our teams in the electric vehicle supply chain and broader green economy in the United States,” said Gilberto Antoniazzi, Chief Financial Officer. “Our state-of-the-art Bessemer City facility is a prime example of how Livent is taking advantage of long-term growth opportunities available under the IRA to invest in localized supply chains for energy storage to increase U.S. competitiveness, supply chain resilience, and national security. We are proud to play our part, and on behalf of Livent, I thank Secretary Yellen and the bipartisan supporters in Congress for their efforts and leadership.”
As part of the visit, Secretary Yellen and Governor Cooper also visited Gaston College in neighboring Dallas, NC. Livent is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Gaston College to create a direct pipeline for students interested in a long-term career in the industry.
You can watch the full press conference held at Livent Bessemer City here.