Sustainability / Our Communities
Economic Development and Jobs
Creating new opportunity through the Carolina Lithium project
428
estimated direct employment by the project in year five of operations
$210 Million
estimated total labor compensation (chemical plant, aggregation, mining) in the first five years of operations
1,051
estimated total employment impact – including direct, indirect, and induced jobs – in year five of operations
$1.2 Billion
estimated cumulative construction impact of the construction phase
$82,181
estimated average compensation per employee
$3.9 Billion
estimated cumulative economic output in the first five years of operations
Economic Impact of Carolina Lithium
Direct, indirect, and induced impacts were evaluated for our proposed Carolina Lithium project by renowned economics professor John E. Connaughton, Ph.D., at the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, to demonstrate the potential impact on jobs and output.
Direct impacts are related to the company’s employees and operating income. Indirect impacts include economic activity generated by Piedmont’s investments and expenses paid as part of our supply chain, and induced impacts include wages paid by Piedmont and its suppliers.
The study estimated that the Carolina Lithium project would result in $3.9 billion cumulative economic output in the first five years of operation, while creating more than 400 good-paying jobs.
Partnering with Gaston College
Piedmont has already started identifying the various roles that will be required to support the operations of our planned Carolina Lithium project. These positions include electricians, equipment operators, a plant manager, a millwright mechanic, and personnel to support warehousing, safety, maintenance, shipping and receiving, material handling, the supply chain, procurement, logistics, human resources, accounting, engineering, grounds and buildings, quality control, and utilities.
To help meet our commitment to hire locally for most of these jobs, Piedmont began a collaboration with Gaston College in 2021 to support the school’s Apprentice 1-2-3 program and their Center for Advanced Manufacturing with comprehensive local training for mechanics, electricians, and control room operators. Plans are currently underway to develop curricula with the goal of enrolling participants before operations begin at our Carolina Lithium project.