EVelution Energy has officially broken ground on the 28 MW solar facility designed to power its upcoming critical minerals processing hub in Yuma County, Arizona.
The installation of the first permanent steel mounting piles across the 150-acre solar site marks the physical construction launch of the $450 million development. Located near Tacna, Arizona, the project represents the first commercial-scale, solar-powered cobalt metal and cobalt sulfate manufacturing plant in the United States.
The dedicated solar array is expected to generate sufficient electricity to power the entire processing plant during peak operational hours. EVelution plans to route excess generation to on-site battery storage systems or back into the local electric grid.
Construction of the solar infrastructure will continue through 2026 and into 2027 under a binding engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with Aquila Energy, with integration engineering managed by M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation.
The manufacturing hub is designed to reduce external reliance within the domestic battery supply chain. Once fully operational, the Yuma County site will process roughly 24,000 metric tons of cobalt hydroxide feedstock each year. It is projected to produce up to 20,000 metric tons of electric vehicle battery-grade cobalt sulfate and 3,000 metric tons of alloy-grade cobalt metal annually, satisfying an estimated 40% of total U.S. cobalt demand.
EVelution is mandating a domestic supply chain for the infrastructure itself, committing to 100% American-made structural steel for the solar racking, battery storage housings, and processing facility frameworks.
Full commercial operation of the cobalt processing facility is slated for the end of 2029.
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