Fire at Livent’s lithium plant

Livent’s lithium processing plant in Bessemer City, North Carolina, caught fire in late June. The fire damaged one building in which lithium metal ingots are produced, but it didn’t affect areas where the battery component lithium hydroxide or other lithium products are made. There were no injuries, and Livent says it hasn’t detected any chemical contamination from the fire. The firm is investigating the cause of the fire, and essential employees have returned to start remediation. In November 2022, Livent completed a 50% expansion of the site’s lithium hydroxide production capacity.