As Albemarle Corp. announced what is proposed Mountain of the Kings What the lithium mine project site plan will look like, about 70 residents showed up to ask questions that boiled down to one main point: How will the city benefit?
For the first time, the public can see the layout of the proposed project with material stockpiles, rock storage facilities, mineral processing facilities and a water storage basin between South Battleground Avenue to the north, Dixon School Road to the left and south along Interstate 85. .
On Tuesday, Albemarle revealed its site plan for the nearly 1,200 acres Kings Mountain Lithium Mine in Cleveland County, about 30 miles west of Charlotte.
The company hasn’t said how much the massive project will cost, but projects like this can cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Jonathan Bolt, who lives less than a mile from where Albemarle plans to reopen dormant lithium mineI wanted to know the impact on the community along with the timeline of the company’s plan.
“I just want to understand what they’re doing and how they’re doing it,” Bolt said during a community meeting Tuesday night in Kings Mountain. “They bought properties where we all grew up – the furniture store, the church and now the drive-in. They are taking over the city. How do we benefit?”
This was the first of five open events planned this month by the world’s largest lithium mining company, based in Charlotte.
The sessions also include a presentation and information stations where residents can ask questions to geologists, mining engineers, environmentalists and biologists.
About the lithium mine
In April, the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources approved Piedmont Lithium Mining License for a new lithium mine in Gaston County.
Lithium is used in batteries to power electric vehicles, bicycles and personal electronic devices.
North Carolina has been focusing on the emerging clean energy economy and attracting companies like lithium battery parts maker New Green Energy Materials Inc. It is part of a strategy to reduce state greenhouse gas emissions and address the impacts of climate change.
“Lithium is a crucial building block in the energy transition to clean energy and sustainable transportation,” said Eric Norris, president of energy storage at Albemarle. “I’m sure you all literally have some form of lithium on hand, whether it’s a steering wheel, a cell phone, a power tool every day of the week.”
Only 2% of the world’s lithium is available in the U.S., Norris said. And North Carolina is among the few places in the world where lithium mining is possible.
Large green areas in white pegmatite rock called spodumene are mined to produce lithium. The Albemarle lithium mine is expected to produce about 420,000 tons of lithium-containing spodumene concentrate per year.
Albemarle wants to build the mine the way the community wants, said Erik Carlson, Albemarle mining and licensing manager. Along with this month’s meetings and mine site visits, there will be plenty of opportunities for public input, he said.
Albemarle’s lithium project allows
Albemarle plans to submit its application for a state mining permit at Kings Mountain by the end of this year.
The licensing process is expected to take two years, followed by another two and a half years for the construction of the mine, according to Albemarle.
There are more than a dozen licenses that need approval at the federal, state and local levels, Carlson said. Albemarle plans to begin applying for permits this summer and by September, he said.
Albemarle Lithium Site Details
Albemarle’s plan shows the existing 2,300-foot mine will be extended southwest by 900 feet. The company will also go deeper into the well, from the deepest existing point of about 265 feet, to about 715 feet.
Along with the rock mine, which has filled with rainwater over the past 40 years, the Albemarle site includes a conversion facility, rock storage facilities, three material piles, crushing installation, a materials storage area and a service and maintenance area.
Albemarle will also build a covered conveyor bridge across I-85 that will include a mineral processing plant and storage basin on the south side of the highway. The project is funded by Albemarle through NCDOT-approved contractors.
A separate storage facility for tailings, the byproduct of separating minerals from rocks, will be 3 miles away from I-85. The 144-acre site is a former mica mine called Archdale.
In 2015, Albemarle acquired Rockwood Holdings and its Kings Mountain facility, which ceased operations in the late 1980s. About 65% of the Albemarle site is “brownfield,” meaning it was previously used for mining, it said. Carlson.
“We are not impacting native vegetation much with this project,” Carlson said. The mining site will be surrounded by a 15-meter-wide barrier to reduce noise, dust and lights outside the mine.
Albemarle Lithium Mine Operations
Draining the inactive mine began in April and will take about 18 months, said Albemarle geochemist Morgan Warren. So far, about 178 million gallons have been discharged into Kings Creek and the well water level has dropped about 9 feet.
“Every drop of water that comes out of the pit goes to a temporary water treatment plant that we built on the edge of the pit,” he said.
After the well is dewatered, Albemarle will blast the rock. The electronic blasting will be highly controlled, with several smaller blasts covered in close sequence to reduce noise and dust, Carlson said.
There will be no detonations on weekends, at night or on holidays. The explosions will happen around noon two to five times a week, Carlson said.
Trucks will be loaded with three types of materials and transported to three locations. Rocks containing no ore will be stored in on-site inventories. The rock containing ore will be transported to the processing plant.
Limestone rock that can be transformed into construction aggregate will go to a neighbor Material Martin Marieta. Albemarle plans to transfer the royalty rates for non-profit organizations in Kings Mountain and surrounding communities, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
When mining operations end
Albemarle’s initial permit application for the mine would allow for 10 years of operation.
After mining, there will be up to five years of recovery, Carlson said. Recovery is the process of repairing or replacing damaged land.
The three stocks of unused rock materials in-place are temporary and will be used during recovery.
The rock storage facility will be 385 feet tall, about 200 feet taller than the gravel trail known as Cardio Hill that overlooks the mine shaft. And it will be permanent. “It will end up being a wooded hill, similar to what you see on Cardio Hill today,” Carlson said.
Albemarle also has workforce transition plans to provide employees with additional education and training after mining ends. Albemarle has about 300 employees working at Kings Mountain now and expects to have about 1,000 during peak operations, said Albemarle spokesman Ryan Dean.
Area residents like Shirley Brutko, founder and chef of the popular Kings Mountain hiking and cycling trail that includes more than 4 miles at the planned Albemarle mining site, said part of the trail will be rerouted. And she’s pleased with how the company is educating the community.
“We know we can ask questions. They are giving back to the community to make it a happier, healthier place to live,” Brutko said.
More community meetings
The next informational meetings are:
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. June 15 at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 146 Dixon School Road
5:30 to 7:30 p.m., June 18, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 220 N. Watterson St.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 25 at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 1017 Bethlehem Road
10 a.m. to noon, June 27, in the Mauney Memorial Library community room, 100 S. Piedmont Ave.
