Tesla posts job openings for proposed lithium refinery in Nueces County
Tesla, which is considering a site west of Corpus Christi for a $375 million lithium refining plant, has posted three construction-related job openings on its website, hinting the electric automaker may be moving forward with the proposed plant in South Texas.
The job postings are the latest in Tesla’s efforts to establish what would be the first plant “of its kind in North America.” News of the idea was first publicized in September after the company's application seeking tax abatements from the Robstown Independent School District was published online.
The Austin-based company seeks to hire a full-time project scheduler, an area superintendent and an area construction manager — all of whom “will be playing a critical role in the construction of Tesla’s first lithium refinery plant(s) near Corpus Christi,” the postings read.
Possible salary ranges are not included in the postings and no deadline to apply is listed. Qualifications range from seven-plus years in heavy industrial, oil and gas, and complex chemical plants to five-plus years with certain construction-scheduling software.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment or more information.
During a public hearing in Robstown last month, Tesla Senior Global Director Rohan Patel said sites in Louisiana and Canada were also being considered. On Monday, the company’s careers site did not list positions related to possible lithium refineries in Louisiana or Canada.
The site is west of Corpus Christi near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and County Road 28, just a few miles from the city of Driscoll. It is within the boundaries of the Robstown school district and unincorporated Nueces County.
In its application to the school district, Tesla said the facility would package and ship battery-grade lithium hydroxide, a key component for the batteries in Tesla EV fleet and products. It projected that commercial operations could commence by the fourth quarter of 2024.
Operation of the plant would create a total of 162 permanent jobs. Of the permanent jobs, 10 would be paid at least $81,000 a year while the remaining positions would be paid an average wage rate of about $52,800 a year, according to a Caller-Times analysis of Tesla's application.
Initially, Tesla planned to garner tax breaks from both the Robstown school district and Nueces County. However, last week, Tesla announced through a county-issued news release that it dropped its application with the county.
The company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, has said that getting a foothold in the lithium refining business would be a “license to print money.” However, at least two lithium industry leaders are skeptical of Tesla’s path forward, one telling the Caller-Times that the lack of details available on the proposal could be a tough sell to investors.
Musk spoke about lithium refinery plans during a Twitter Spaces talk on Dec. 22. Then, he said the plant would relieve the "lithium refining bottleneck.”
"Maybe we're diluted," Musk said, responding to a question from a Twitter user. "But we are aiming to have meaningful volume out of the refinery in two years."
This article is developing. Check back at Caller.com for updates.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Tesla posts job openings for proposed lithium refinery in Nueces County
