[5] The facility's operations are made up of the mine and two nearby processing facilities that convert the raw lithium spodumene concentrate into lithium hydroxide before being sold to global battery manufacturers including LG Chem, CATL and Northvolt.

[7] In January 2024 production was scaled down as the market for lithium deteriorated in the face of weak electric vehicle uptake.

[11][needs update] The Kemerton plant is 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of the Greenbushes facility,[1] and is still undergoing[when?]

announced that they have delayed the start of construction of their Kemerton plant until sometime in 2021[needs update] and have scaled back growth plans due to lithium growing pains.

discovered nearby Kapanga deposit is described as,[14][13] a giant pegmatite dike of Archean age with substantial Li-Sn-Ta mineralization, including half the world’s tantalum resource.The mine is estimated to have resources of 8.7 million tonnes (19 billion pounds) LCE[further explanation needed] and reserves of 6.8 million tonnes (15 billion pounds) LCE.

However, Tianqi soon came into financial difficulties and was forced to offload the minority stake in the mine to the competing bidder, the American-based Albemarle Corporation in 2014.

The 49% owner, Albemarle Corporation is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is one of the world's largest lithium producers.

[citation needed] The majority owner, Tianqi Lithium Corporation, is based in Chengdu, China, and is listed on the Shanghai stock exchange.

[11] The entity Windfield Holdings (51% ownership) was established to purchase the mine and later 49% of its stock was sold.

[9] The lithium production industry is dominated by only four companies – Talison, SQM, Albemarle and FMC.

due to Tianqi Corporation's financial problems, exhibited in part by the fact that in March 2020, MSP Engineering took Tianqi Lithium Kwinana – the entity that operates the Kwinana processing facility – to the Supreme Court of Western Australia with a lawsuit claiming unpaid invoices of A$35.9 million.

[15][16] Part of Tianqi's problems emerged from their recent purchase of 20% of Chilean lithium producer SQM.

that they may be forced to offload part of its 49% stake in the mine or the Kwinana processing facility nearby.

announced that they have delayed the start of construction of their Kemerton plant until sometime in 2021[needs update] and have scaled back growth plans due to lithium growing pains.