Albemarle has placed the remaining operating train, Train 1, at its Western Australia Kemerton lithium hydroxide facility into care and maintenance, following the 2024 idling of Train 2 and cancellation of expansion plans for Trains 3 and 4. This consolidation responds to prolonged price volatility in hard-rock lithium conversion and aims to rationalize operating costs.

The idling decision is projected to be accretive to adjusted EBITDA beginning in Q2 2026 without reducing overall volume guidance for the year, as customer demand will be met through alternate production channels. Albemarle’s broader Australian mining interests, including stakes in Greenbushes and Wodgina, remain unaffected and central to its long-term lithium strategy.