Who Buys Albemarle's Lithium? Inside the World's Largest Lithium Producer
Albemarle mines and refines more lithium than anyone else on earth, feeding the batteries inside millions of EVs. Here's who buys its lithium hydroxide, where the ore comes from, and why one mine matters so much.
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Every EV battery needs lithium, and Albemarle Corporation supplies more of it than any other company on earth. It mines spodumene ore and brine across Australia, Chile, and the US, then refines that into the battery-grade lithium hydroxide that EV and battery makers actually buy.
The short answer
Albemarle's supply chain runs from mine to battery plant:
- Who buys it: Tesla and General Motors use Albemarle's lithium hydroxide for their own battery cells; LG Energy Solution buys it to make cells for other automakers.
- Where the ore comes from: Australia's Greenbushes mine, jointly owned with Tianqi Lithium and IGO Limited, is the highest-grade hard-rock lithium deposit known.
- What runs the mines: Caterpillar's haul trucks and Metso's crushing and flotation equipment process the ore before it ever reaches a refinery.
The full interactive map is on Albemarle's supply chain page.
Who depends on Albemarle's lithium
Tesla is a major offtaker, buying battery-grade lithium hydroxide to feed Gigafactory cell production directly. General Motors has a long-term supply agreement in place to underpin its Ultium battery platform, and LG Energy Solution, South Korea's largest battery-cell maker, buys Albemarle's high-purity lithium hydroxide for the cylindrical and pouch cells it sells across the auto industry. None of these companies mine lithium themselves; Albemarle's refining capacity is what turns raw ore into something a battery plant can actually use.
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