Junior miner First Phosphate Corp., Saguenay, Quebec, on Sept. 13 announced that it has entered into an agreement with Utah’s American Battery Factory Inc. to support production of up to 40,000 mt/y of fully North American manufactured lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode active material (CAM). The initiative aims to bring production of LFP batteries for the battery storage sector to North America.
The company said mutually beneficial arrangements have been agreed upon, and the parties intend to enter into a definitive agreement governing its customer-supplier relationship once First Phosphate and ABF are able to source an established LFP technology partner to work with the companies to service ABF’s LFP CAM production needs in North America.
ABF projects sustained annual demand for LFP CAM starting in 2026 and achieving up to 40,000 mt of annual LFP CAM requirement by 2028 at its first planned LFP battery manufacturing facility in Tucson, Ariz.
ABF intends to construct several other LFP battery manufacturing facilities across North America, each of which should require a similar amount of LFP CAM.
The two companies intend to cooperate in the development of an LFP battery ecosystem in North America and to consider the possibility of locating certain facilities at the Port of Saguenay, Quebec.