Hopkinsville KY CAM Plant

Ascend Elements · Hopkinsville, USA · Cathode material (CAM)

Cathode material plant operated by Ascend Elements in Hopkinsville, USA. Status: cancelled.

Hopkinsville KY CAM Plant: cathode plant illustration with co-precipitation reactor and rotary kiln; Cathode material (CAM), status cancelled, USA Cathode material (CAM) Cancelled USA
Capacity
30. kt/yr
Chemistry
NMC 811 / NCMA
Start year
2025
Hub
Supply Chain

Status

Cancelled: CAM line cancelled and $164M DOE grant returned (2025)

Product: NMC 811 / NCMA. Capacity: 30. kt/yr (Legacy figure; not re-verified).

Ascend Elements Apex 1, Hopkinsville, Kentucky; planned hydro-to-CAM from recycled metal; the clearest US casualty of the 2025 battery-materials pullback.

Customers and offtakers: SK On / LGES / Samsung SDI.

Plant record

Plant record

Hopkinsville KY CAM Plant (Ascend Elements)
CompanyAscend Elements
PlantHopkinsville KY CAM Plant
CityHopkinsville
State or provinceKentucky
CountryUSA
StageCAM
Chemistry or productNMC 811 / NCMA
Capacity (kt/yr)30.
Capacity basisLegacy figure; not re-verified
Statuscancelled
Status noteCAM line cancelled and $164M DOE grant returned (2025); project company filed Chapter 11 in April 2026; site sold to the Turner-Kokosing JV in June 2026
Scalecommercial
Start year2025
Investment (US$ billion)1.
Customers and offtakersSK On / LGES / Samsung SDI
FeedstockHydro-to-CAM process (recycled + primary)
Metal inputsNi / Co / Mn / Li
Geopolitical exposureLOW
Record updated2026-10

Official site: ascendelements.com

In context

Where it fits

Listed in Cathode Active Materials. Cathode plants are compared on stage (chemical, precursor or finished CAM), chemistry, capacity and qualified customers; a plant qualified for one chemistry and one cell maker is not interchangeable supply.

Other plants of Ascend Elements and other plants in USA
PlantCountryStatus
North Andover Plasma CAM Line (6K Energy)USAoperational
Battle Creek CAM Plant (BASF TODA America) (BASF)USAoperational
Elyria Battery Materials Plant (BASF)USAoperational
Direct Lithium Extraction pilot (International Battery Metals)USAoperational
Mountain View LFP/LMFP Line (Mitra Chem)USAoperational
Bessemer City Lithium Hydroxide Plant (Rio Tinto (Arcadium Lithium, formerly Livent))USAoperational
Robstown Lithium Refinery (Tesla)USAramping
Clarksville Cathode Plant (LG Chem)USAunder construction
Thacker Pass (Lithium Americas)USAunder construction
Kings Mountain Lithium (Albemarle)USAannounced

Sources

Sources and scope

Scope
Hopkinsville KY CAM Plant (Ascend Elements)
Sources
ElectronsX cathode dataset; company disclosures and filings
Updated
2026-10