Published: April 1, 2026 |

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The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) said Albemarle’s Kings Mountain Lithium Material Processing Plant project is the latest FAST-41 mining project to complete federal permitting.

This North Carolina-based mining project is expected to play a critical role in strengthening domestic supply chains, supporting the production of essential materials used in everything from smartphone and tablet batteries to automobile airbags, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. 

“This marks the 12th mining project to complete federal permitting through FAST-41, and the first completed project in the State of North Carolina,” said Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech.

“Developing America’s natural resources is critical to America’s economic resilience and national security, and provide secure supply chains for industries across the economy,” added Domenech.

“America’s national and economic security depends on utilizing the untapped potential of the natural resources we have in our own backyard. By completing the federal permitting process for the Kings Mountain Lithium Mine Project, the Permitting Council has demonstrated how smart, targeted policy can make government a true partner to industry by delivering more predictable timelines and increasing transparency. I am grateful to the Trump administration, the Permitting Council, and Albemarle for unlocking the potential of lithium here in North Carolina,” said Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.).

Located in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, this project aims to resume open pit mining and expand the footprint of a site that is one of the few known hard-rock lithium deposits in the U.S. Project sponsor Albemarle expects the project to play a critical role in establishing a U.S. supply of lithium.

“As one of North America’s largest hard-rock lithium resources, the Kings Mountain Mine has the potential to play a key part in building a U.S.-based lithium supply chain,” said Scott Hutchins, senior director, Business Readiness for Albemarle Corporation.

“Federal approval is a noteworthy milestone in the project’s permitting process as we continue to engage with local and state entities to obtain their respective approvals. We thank the Permitting Council, National Energy Dominance Council, Department of War, and Department of Energy for their diligence and support to propel this project forward,” added Hutchins.

The Department of Energy led federal permitting for this project.

Learn more about the Kings Mountain Lithium Material Processing Plant project on the Federal Permitting dashboard HERE.

The Permitting Council coordinates federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage. FAST-41 covered projects are entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. FAST-41 covered projects may be in the energy production, electricity transmission, energy storage, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource, broadband, pipelines, manufacturing, mining, carbon capture, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, high-performance computing and advanced computer hardware and software, quantum information science and technology, data storage and data management, and cybersecurity sectors.

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