News

• Albemarle awards major construction package to Monadelphous
• Contract value around $200 million
• Monadelphous will support construction of lithium processing Trains 3 & 4 at Kemerton

PERTH, Australia, July 25, 2023 - Albemarle, a global leader in providing essential elements for mobility, energy, connectivity and health, has awarded a major new contract to Monadelphous for expansion of the world-leading Kemerton Lithium Hydroxide Processing Plant in Western Australia.

Albemarle’s Kemerton Expansion Project will construct additional processing trains 3 and 4 at the plant, near Bunbury, in the south-west of the State, creating over 1000 jobs across construction contractors.

Operating at full capacity, Kemerton will have expanded capacity with four processing trains to produce up to 100 ktpa (100,000 metric tonnes per annum) of lithium hydroxide, supporting the manufacturing of an estimated 2.4 million electric vehicles annually.

Albemarle is Australia’s largest producer and manufacturer of lithium. A positive final investment decision was taken on expansion of the Kemerton plant in May 2023 and represents the biggest investment by any company in downstream processing of lithium in Australia.

Work to be undertaken by Monadelphous under the contract includes:

• front-end pyromet structural; and
• mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation works.

Albemarle’s VP, Capital Projects Australia, Josh Rowan said Monadelphous had previously worked on a range of construction packages for processing trains 1 and 2.

“We are very pleased to have Monadelphous back onboard for the construction of processing trains 3 and 4,” he said. “Their ability to deliver the works safely and at schedule is critical to the project’s success.

“Monadelphous was also recently awarded long-term maintenance and sustaining capital projects contracts for Albemarle’s Kemerton operations.”

Mr Rowan said that first steel was recently delivered onsite at Kemerton and that construction work on the expansion project would begin very soon.