15 November 2023 Tesla Lithium Refinery Plant near Corpus Christi, Texas Update (08:25AM)

Tesla’s New Lithium Refinery Plant is located near Corpus Christi, Texas!
I was on my way to Starbase to see the second launch of Starship and the trip allowed me to stop by and get some updated images and video of the Lithium Refinery.
Wow, there has been a TON of work and changes since then, with a large area having been earth worked, footings, trenching, ponds, construction trailers and Tesla office trailers, sprung structures, and even vertical construction with concrete pours!
Despite all of this, my assessment is that Tesla is falling behind their announced goal of beginning some production in early 2024. They still have a lot of construction to complete in the main refinery section, and then a serious amount of equipment needs to arrive, be assembled and then tested before any production can begin.
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Video, photos, illustrations, and commentary on this video is by me, Joe Tegtmeyer unless otherwise annotated.
Music in this video is obtained from the KZbin free and unrestricted and royalty-free use library. Ending song is Mr. Sunny Face - Wayne Jones
Drones used are DJI Mini 2, Mavic Air 2 & Air 3.
Drone flight with permission of Tesla and CEO Elon Musk

[@JasonEsquivel]

So many changes since the last flight. Thanks for all you do Joe.

[@JoeTegtmeyer]

Thanks Jason!

[@DessieDoolan]

Thanks Joe. 2 and half months. Not a huge amount of work is obvious. 3:32. Rotary Kiln staging area. Evapco HVAC equipment near the entrance. Left. Against the fence. A hundred or so spools/reels/drums of cable. 6:24. Large transformers haven’t shifted. Joined by 6 smaller transformers. I wonder if the area to the right will be the switchyard/substation. Over a year to build the new switchyard at Giga Texas……… 7:56. Offices area. Right. Geo-mesh visible in this area where the elevation is being raised. Crushed rock/gravel over. 8:29. ‘Raw Materials Building’ site. Sheet piling driven into the ground for a deep excavation. Line of pairs of pedestals to the left. Immediately to the right of those is a line of groups of 3 piles. Pile casings seen above ground. Might be screw piles. Piles align with the dimpled ground towards the top. Some other type of piles there. 9:30. ‘Raw Materials Building’ site. Bottom. Excavator screwing in screw/auger piles. Bobcat shifting around some screw/auger piles. Coincidentally, screw piles going in at the southend at Giga Texas today. Other excavator above has the driver for the sheet piles. 11:35. Railway line. Inside the fenceline, some sort of metering system. White pipes, red valves. 11:56. Bottom right. The soil stabilisation contractor’s equipment. Waiting for the water to dry up. 12:16. Main Refinery area. Mud slab placed around the screw piles. Studs/lugs on the screw piles are ‘clocked’ to align with the slab rebar to come. Green coils of something. Insulated earth/grounding cable would seem likely. Insulation left in place where the cable is buried in the slab I would think. 12:39. Left. Hexagonal rebar cages being constructed. Finished product to the right. 13:13. Main refinery area. Stacks of bearing timbers would be locations for cranes to lift the kilns onto the bases. 13:52. Main Refinery area. Kiln bases (towers). Galvanised steel frame being erected around. 14:40. ‘Raw Materials Building’ site. Dimples from some sort of piles. Same alignment as the pile casings at 8:29. 17:56. Transformer staging area. Possibly another transformer arrives.

[@danielcarlson8386]

The square outside the fence is about the correct size for electrical distribution site

[@ReinReads]

Thanks for this & enjoy your trip to Boca Chica for the Starship launch!

[@rb8049]

Happy to see an update. Thanks!

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗 THANKS FOR THE TOUR,JOE and the COOL 😎 MUSIC 🎶 💚💚💚

[@GardenSpaces]

Thanks for all your post, Joe. This plant interests me because in my youth I worked in a cement plant, that was a converted lithium plant, and many of the processes are the same. The rings on the kiln are bearings which will ride on pairs of trunnions mounted on the concrete towers. I am curious about the two sections for the kiln and what you refer to as a cooler. I am wondering if the two sections will be joined to make a long kiln and a cooler section added to the end. Will the kiln be slurry or dry fed? What will be the dust collection technology used on the kiln? I will be looking for your excellent post and watching how this all comes together.

[@jbarvideo12]

Thanks Joe for all your flyobers and comments.

[@BrianAllenWS]

That's blocking (or cribbing, since it seems to be more than one layer), not shoring. Shoring is that trench they're digging.

[@LoryCole-u8d]

Given the size and amount of concrete support bases and columns, it occurs that in the 3 months since the last visit, much has been accomplished.

[@johnhjic2]

Thank you Joe, Have an amzing trip to watch the Starship launch.

[@3rdcoastpesca]

appreciate the report Ive been waiting for update .

[@favesongslist]

Thanks Joe. Have an awesome time tomorrow. so wish I was going to see Starship.

[@YouT-DJ]

Thanks Joe - Have a great trip to Boca. Let's hope for a successful flight! 🚀

[@FutureAZA]

You're a true gem, Joe! Thanks for keeping us in the know.

[@tommetzner58]

The rings are what might well be described as bearing surfaces. In gold mining, we use many rod and ball mills similar to this but different and those rings would rest in "Babbit" bearings that are continuously lubricated with a pressure-fed greasing system.

[@stanleybridge]

Always appreciate your coverage and commentary of Tesla and Spacex related activities. Thank you!

[@bimmergeezer]

Wonderful video and explanation Joe, thanks so much for sharing.

[@TeslaElonSpaceXFan]

👍

[@hollywoodkw3206]

Thank you!

[@petewangen-groovedrummer8083]

Nice work Joe.

[@Radium3D]

Must be a lot of thought going into the design of the layout of the refinery

[@AMeierhoefer]

Nice video Joe. Maybe Tesla should get a new title as "The Swamp Builders" as it appears each construction site is somehow struggling with water 😁

[@willykang1293]

Love the music 🎶

[@andreandre1051]

Merci👍👍👍

[@GoCoyote]

I was under the impression that the facility would be ready at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025. I cannot imagine that an industrial facility of this size and complexity could be anywhere close to ready by the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.

[@Bill_N_ATX]

I can imagine that they might be building parts of the facility offsite and will move them onto the foundations they have been building. Just a few miles from this site is a huge natural gas processing plant that not only cleans and separates natural gas into some of its component parts but also liquefies it for export. They spent months building foundations and pipelines and then in just a few days they brought in several huge multistory plant assemblies that had been constructed in Korea and transported by ship to Corpus Christi. Then what looked like years away was only months away. This makes particularly good sense when you think about what is required to build a large facility in this area. It’s not near a large metropolitan area with thousands of available workers. I have absolutely no knowledge or information that this planned here, but it could be. It would make the schedule much easier to believe.

[@JoeTegtmeyer]

Tesla recently said (and I discussed this in part 4 of my multi part series) they want to start some production in early 2024. This seems unlikely based on what I showed in this update.

[@GoCoyote]

@@JoeTegtmeyer I did not remember that, and agree about the timeline. But who knows, they have pulled off some amazing stuff, so we shall see.

[@lasvegasbound6167]

Doesn't look like 'opening day' will happen, but, I never believed 'Jan 1' anyway. Besides, there's been a lot of rain as you also noted.

[@johnnyfootball7658]

Another great video, Joe, I live in Corpus and it is incredible to see all of the new plants to include this one and the SDI (Steel Dynamics) which I believe will be a major supplier for Cybertruck Steel and steel for the Starship to the south of us. Tesla nailed it with location for these plants as they are equidistant from Austin, Boca Chica, and Monterrey.

[@JoeTegtmeyer]

🤗👍

[@danielcarlson8386]

Sweet

[@marcuspadia]

Nice video. Thanks Joe.

[@cratecruncher4974]

Great overview Joe. Production does look a few months off. But they haven't got an operating cathode plant to send it to either.

[@richardrhodes-gc2ko]

Giga Texas,By Rail

[@MarcoNierop]

Great video again and happy to see you are back in Corpus Cristy! That Tesla is behind its schedule of starting production early 2024 is clear, but this also taps in perfectly with the Q3 earnings call where Elon Musk was very weary to go all in on all their plans, due to the macro economic situation is so unclear.. However I think this has improved the past few weeks with better than expected CPI and PPI reports, and very good production and sales numbers for Tesla in September and October. But we will see how it progresses the coming weeks, production to start somewhere next year seems obvious, and I think they have to, because also the cathode plant in Texas is almost ready, and if used for 4680, I think they should ramp up that production as fast as possible to fulfil the Cybetruck and Model Y demand! Interesting to see how all these seperate mega projects tie together as they do! Unprecedented if you ask me

[@GrantHodgsonWnNZ]

Joe are you going to cybertruck event? If not why not?

[@Nphen]

I don't see this site producing usable amounts of lithium until at least March 2024. Maybe it's completed before then, but it won't be fully staffed and running even at low ramp. Maybe ramp right after that, if there are no more delays. *narrator* : there are always more delays.

[@fardst871]

I subscribe. I like your content.❤❤ I ❤❤

[@heidisalaka6938]

Hey Joe

[@richb2229]

Yes, they have made good progress but it looks like they are a little behind.

[@GrantHodgsonWnNZ]

Octagonal rather than hexagonal?

[@BrianAllenWS]

yep

[@imagewire]

Any chance you will venture further south to Giga Mexico anytime soon?

[@michaelmcclown5593]

Nothing to see I'm thinking.

[@davidnull5590]

Does anyone know anything about Musk's health status? It's in the news today, why? Because some visiting Indian official spoke of it and wished Mush better health.,

[@lanegrigsby8916]

What contractor is is building the plant?

[@trampfossil9760]

I wonder if they will eventually set up a recycling section?

[@hyperbitcoinizationpod]

Hey Joe, this is everybody.

[@danielcarlson8386]

It will be another year they have not built the gas lines or electrical run's

[@Bill_N_ATX]

There are two huge natural gas lines and production facilities on a few miles away. This isn’t far from the Eagle Ford shale grounds. Natural gas they have plenty of locally. Electricity is not quite so close but it’s available.

[@danielcarlson8386]

@@Bill_N_ATX that is great news thank you for telling me

[@darbyelliott2890]

That looks like an entry to the boring company tunnel. 🤔🤔🤔