A new trade association, the Nevada Battery Coalition, was formed in Nevada this week focusing on highlighting and increasing the opportunities that lithium battery production is bringing to Nevada.
Nevada is a leader in the mining, production, and recycling of lithium batteries and has already seen billions of dollars in investments and thousands of jobs across the state to grow the industry.
“The current investment in this industry has produced profoundly positive environmental, economic, and national security advantages, all of which are strengthened by uniting the industry through the Nevada Battery Coalition,” said Caleb Cage who is coordinating the new group.
Companies participating in establishing the Nevada Battery Coalition include 3PL Operating, Inc., Albemarle Corporation, American Battery Technology Company, American Lithium Corp/Tonopah Lithium Corp, Aqua Metals, Inc., Comstock Inc., Cypress Development, Dragonfly Energy, Ioneer USA Corporation, Lithion Battery, Lithium Americas, NV Energy, Tesla, and Quantum Copper.
To underscore the importance of the growing battery sector, just days after new trade group was formed, Nevada’s Redwood Materials announced it would receive a $2 billion Department of Energy loan to help build out its $3.5 billion Nevada recycling and remanufacturing. The project is expected to create about 3,400 construction jobs and employ about 1,600 full-time workers. The company's presence in Nevada started under former Gov. Brian Sandoval. The investments and subsequent jobs will help Nevada’s newly elected Governor Joe Lombardo meet his goals to diversify Nevada's economy.
"This is what we're going to have to do to have success in the state of Nevada," Lombardo said. "We can't have all our eggs in one basket."