Proposed Phase 1 site adjacent to existing operations.
Compass Minerals has signed a binding, multiyear supply agreement to provide Ford Motor Co. with battery-grade lithium carbonate from its Ogden, Utah, lithium brine development project.
“We are excited to formalize a long-term relationship with Ford, one of the most trusted and iconic brands in the automotive industry and a leader in the transition to vehicle electrification,” said Kevin Crutchfield, president and CEO. “We look forward to building an alliance that will support Ford’s electric vehicle strategy by providing a reliable, domestic lithium supply.”
Under the agreement, Compass Minerals will deliver up to 40% of its planned, phase-one battery-grade lithium carbonate to Ford for a five-year term once production begins.
As previously announced, the company expects an annual commercial production capacity of approximately 35,000 metric tons (mt) lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) once fully operational, with an initial phase-one capacity of approximately 11,000 mt of battery-grade lithium carbonate coming online in 2025.
“This is an exciting period of innovation and growth for EVs,” said Lisa Drake, Ford’s vice president of EV Industrialization, Model e. “The work we are doing with Compass Minerals is promising – and a key part of Ford’s EV growth and the diversification of our sustainable EV supply chain.”
Compass Minerals is pursuing the sustainable development of an approximately 2.4 million mt LCE resource on the Great Salt Lake, using synergies with its existing sulphate of potash, salt and magnesium chloride production asset. Lithium will be the fourth essential mineral produced from the same unit of brine, bringing additional efficiencies to the operation and value to all stakeholders, including the State of Utah.
