American Battery Technology Company hosted senior federal and state leaders, including U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson, for a site tour of its commercial-scale battery recycling facility and claystone-to-lithium hydroxide demonstration operations near Reno, Nevada.

The visit provided federal and state officials with a firsthand review of operations supported by Department of Energy awards. Visitors toured the company's first-of-kind commercial lithium-ion battery recycling plant and inspected infrastructure prepared for future expansion.

American Battery Technology Company is advancing plans to construct a second commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility supported by a federal award. The planned plant is designed to process approximately five times the volume of battery materials handled by the current Reno operation.

Delegates also toured the claystone-to-lithium hydroxide pilot plant, which processes material from the Tonopah Flats Lithium Project in central Nevada. The company previously constructed and commissioned this multi-tonne per day demonstration system to manufacture battery-grade lithium hydroxide from its sedimentary claystone resource. ABTC plans to scale the technology through a commercial lithium hydroxide refinery co-located with the Tonopah Flats project, backed by a $57 million Department of Energy award.

“We were honored to welcome Assistant Secretary Robertson and the DOE team to our facilities and demonstrate the commercial technologies helping build a more secure domestic battery materials supply chain,” said Ryan Melsert, CEO of American Battery Technology Company. “Across both business units, DOE-supported innovation is now being demonstrated in operating environments, showcasing how American innovation, strategic public-private partnership, and advanced manufacturing can work together to strengthen energy resilience, support economic growth, and increase domestic production of critical minerals essential to our nation's future.”

— Ryan Melsert, CEO of American Battery Technology Company

Company leaders highlighted that these operations form part of an integrated strategy to expand domestic sources of critical battery materials and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

Read the full announcement: American Battery Technology Company Hosts DOE Leadership to Showcase Commercial Technologies Strengthening U.S. Critical Minerals Supply Chains