TEXAS – Tesla held a groundbreaking for its new lithium refining facility in Robstown, which is expected to provide an economic boost to South Texas.
During the ceremony, Governor Greg Abbott thanked Tesla for choosing Nueces County as the location for the state-of-the-art lithium refinery, noting that the new facility will generate $375 million in capital investment and bring more than 400 new high-paying jobs to Texans in the region.
“Texas is proud to be home to Tesla, and I thank them for choosing Robstown for their new lithium refinery. Texas will continue to be a hub of innovation, leading the way into the future of technology. With the Port of Corpus Christi nearby and the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, the lithium refined here will work its way into Tesla batteries around the world,” said Governor Abbott.
In attendance at the ceremony were Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, Nueces County Judge Connie Scott, Robstown Mayor Gilbert Gomez, and other local, state and federal leaders.
Abbott commended economic development leaders at the state and local level for attracting world-renowned innovators to Texas and securing Texas’ own lithium refining production, boosting the state’s future for generations to come. The governor also delivered a proclamation to Musk, commemorating the new lithium refinery and recognizing Tesla’s investment in South Texas.
Tesla’s new refinery, the first of its kind in North America, will produce battery-grade lithium and house processing, refining and manufacturing operations for battery materials for the company’s product line.
In July 2020, Governor Abbott welcomed Tesla to Texas after the company announced the construction of its new electric vehicle manufacturing facility, Gigafactory Texas, in Travis County.
