Project Location: Kings Mountain, NC
Site of Albemarle Corporation’s former lithium mine in Kings Mountain
Background:
Kings Mountain, North Carolina, is home to a former lithium mine that has sat dormant for nearly four decades. The site sits atop a deposit that could help meet the growing demand for the lithium needed to support the electric vehicle supply chain and clean energy production in the United States.
Demand for lithium is not driven by the EV market alone. The lithium concentrate that can be derived from the proposed mine is needed to power everything from consumer electronics to life-saving medical devices. There are also national security interests that factor into this potential domestic source of lithium, for example, lithium-ion batteries are used by the U.S. Department of Defense for satellites.
Overview:
When Albemarle Corporation, a global leader in the specialty chemicals industry, began to explore resuming mining at the Kings Mountain site, it contacted The Thrasher Group North Carolina to help with surveying the original site footprint. The company was pleasantly surprised to find an experienced local contractor with a working knowledge of the community to meet all of its site surveying needs for pre-feasibility studies.
Today, the Albemarle continues to use Thrasher NC’s land surveying services as it prepares for advancing to the permitting process and other necessary pre-construction steps.
Project Goals:
- Original survey of the 500+ acre legacy parcel and additional surveying services as Albemarle expands the footprint via 100+ parcel acquisitions for buffers zones
- Identify and highlight improvements, easements, rights-of-way and other important survey information that could impact the feasibility of mining operations
- Survey the surrounding buffer parcels that Albemarle would need to acquire in order to meet buffer area requirements
Land Surveying Services Provided:
- Photogrammetry surveying services
- Geo-spatial surveying services
- GNSS/GPS surveying services
- Conventional surveying services
Training Processes Completed:
- Completed extensive Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) Training
- Completed site-specific Albemarle-required training and certification
- Vetted via 3-month ISNetworld supplier certification process
Project Approach:
The original land survey of the original footprint was started in 2018. Today, Thrasher NC is in the process of a phased approach with surveying services for additional properties surrounding the original site, anticipating completion of the overall surveying project in 2025.
Project Challenges:
- Project Size: The entire Kings Mountain site, which also includes a Lithium Conversion Facility and the companies Global Technology Center offices, encompasses >1500 acres. Finding a partner that could keep pace with Albemarle’s need for the original parcel and buffer area acquisition surveying processes was key.
- Legal & Environmental Communication: Thrasher NC’s surveying professionals sit in on weekly coordination meetings with attorneys, land agents, and other key project stakeholders to ensure the team is in the loop and available if additional site questions arise.
Project Outcomes:
The Thrasher Group North Carolina has provided Albemarle with all the necessary site surveying services it has needed for the Kings Mountain Lithium Mine in a timely manner.
Since site surveying was a prerequisite for Albemarle to move the project forward through complex pre-feasibility studies, permitting and pre-construction planning, the Thrasher NC team’s timely delivery also allowed Albemarle to stay on track with its own timelines.
There is a water treatment plant on the current parcel, and if needs arise in the future, The Thrasher Group North Carolina can also provide water resources engineering due to its multidisciplinary offerings.