Metso has been awarded a contract to deliver ancillary equipment to Albemarle’s calcining and acid roasting facilities at the Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant.
The Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant is located in Bunbury, Western Australia.
The new contract is valued at approximately €40 million (approximately $A65,000,000), and it is an addendum to the two pyro processing and comminution lines that was awarded to Metso in December 2022.
The new contract has been booked as part of Metso’s metals segment’s second-quarter 2023 order intake. Metso’s scope of delivery includes selected material handling and gas cleaning equipment for the calciner, calcine grinding and acid vapor sections.
Metso vice president of heat transfer Chris Urban reacted to the news.
“We are pleased that Albemarle, which is one of the largest lithium producers in the world, has selected us as the partner for their lithium hydroxide processing plants,” Urban said.
“In addition to the pyro processing and comminution lines ordered, it was also our honour to deliver two pyro lines, which were recently commissioned.”
Albemarle announced its decision in early May to build two additional processing trains at the Kemerton plant, making it the largest investor in downstream lithium processing in the country.
Lithium Power International also recently parted ways with its Australian subsidiary, Western Lithium, and sold it to Albemarle for $30 million.
Metso and Albemarle have had a long-standing relationship, with Metso having won a contract to supply pyro-processing and comminution equipment to the Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant in 2019.