15,000-ton Phase 1 plant in Hooks, Texas
aims to deepen U.S. battery localization around Project Lonestar™
June
4, 2026, Texas, United States: Wildcat Discovery
Technologies, a Holyvolt Group company, and EnergyX have entered into a joint
venture to develop a lithium iron phosphate cathode active material
manufacturing facility in Hooks, Texas, a move that could materially expand
U.S. capacity in one of the most strategically important battery chemistries.
The proposed plant, planned next to EnergyX’s Project Lonestar lithium
operation and near the Red River Army Depot, is designed for Phase 1 output of
about 15,000 metric tonnes per year, with room for future expansion on 330
acres already secured by EnergyX at TexAmericas Center. The partners said the
project carries an investment value of more than $230 million and, if it
secures U.S. Department of Energy support, could accelerate construction and
commissioning of what they describe as one of the first meaningful domestic LFP
cathode production facilities in the country. Beyond adding manufacturing
scale, the venture is structured to create a more integrated battery materials
chain by pairing Wildcat’s cathode development and pilot-scale production
strengths with EnergyX’s domestic lithium strategy, including the expectation
that EnergyX will provide most, if not all, of the lithium carbonate needed for
the plant under commercially favorable terms. The companies also highlighted
the project’s expected regional economic impact, including around 150 direct
permanent jobs and as many as 800 to 1,200 indirect and construction roles in
Northeast Texas, while positioning the facility as a strategic response to
heavy U.S. dependence on Asian, especially Chinese, LFP cathode supply for
energy storage, electric mobility, drones, and defense-related applications.
According
to Mark Gresser, CEO of Wildcat, “LFP cathode
materials are essential to the future of energy storage, defense
electrification, and affordable electric mobility, yet the United States
remains heavily dependent on foreign supply. This project is designed to help
close that gap by combining Wildcat’s cathode materials technology and
high-throughput development platform with EnergyX’s domestic lithium supply
strategy and Texas project footprint.” According to Teague Egan, Founder
& CEO of EnergyX, “EnergyX is thrilled to build one of the largest
American cathode plants in collaboration with Wildcat. In addition EnergyX’s
global lithium technology and production platform, which includes the Project
Lonestar™ lithium plant in Texas, this cathode plant is a critical step towards
EnergyX’s larger vision of the Battery Mecca™. Cathode production is a natural
next step, which will eventually include lithium metal anode production, and
high energy density cell manufacturing. By pairing domestic cathode manufacturing
with our domestic lithium supply, this project can help position Texas and
Battery Mecca™ as a leader in the next generation of battery materials, and
establishes a complete U.S. battery materials supply chain, directly adjacent
to the Red River Army Depot.”
According
to TechSci Research, this announcement is
significant not simply because it adds another battery materials project to the
U.S. pipeline, but because it targets one of the most structurally vulnerable
links in the domestic battery value chain: LFP cathode active material. The
strategic logic is compelling. LFP has moved from being a cost-led alternative
chemistry to becoming a mainstream platform for energy storage systems and a
large share of electric mobility applications globally. The International
Energy Agency says LFP accounted for more than 55% of EV batteries deployed
worldwide in 2025 and more than 90% of battery energy storage systems, while
production of LFP cathode materials and their precursors remains overwhelmingly
concentrated in China. That concentration is exactly what this Wildcat-EnergyX
venture is trying to address. By colocating cathode production with EnergyX’s
broader lithium platform at Project Lonestar, the partners are not merely
proposing a standalone plant; they are attempting to create a regionalized
battery materials cluster with feedstock visibility, logistics advantages, and
a potentially more stable input-cost profile. This matters because cathode
active material is among the most value-dense and strategically sensitive parts
of the battery supply chain, and the absence of domestic scale in this segment
has left the U.S. exposed even as cell and pack manufacturing ambitions have
accelerated. The DOE has repeatedly emphasized that secure access to battery
materials and critical minerals is central to expanding domestic manufacturing,
and that the U.S. remains highly import-reliant for many critical minerals used
in battery production. Against that backdrop, the Hooks project stands out as a
midstream localization play with implications that go beyond one company or one
site.
TechSci
Research believes the commercial viability of such projects will increasingly
depend on three factors: first, the ability to lock in raw-material supply at
predictable economics; second, the ability to qualify material with customers
in EV, storage, and defense channels; and third, the ability to scale fast
enough to match downstream demand before imports further entrench themselves.
On those measures, this venture enters with some meaningful strengths,
including access to a nearby lithium platform, existing demonstration-scale
validation, and a site that offers transport and industrial infrastructure.
Still, execution will be the differentiator. Capital intensity, qualification
cycles, policy dependency, and competition from cheaper Asian supply will
remain real hurdles. Even so, the broader signal is clear: the U.S. battery
market is moving beyond the simple build-out of gigafactories toward the harder
but more consequential task of rebuilding upstream and midstream chemistry
capacity. If Wildcat and EnergyX execute as planned, the project could become a
reference case for how domestic lithium resources, cathode innovation, and
industrial policy can be stitched together into a more resilient North American
battery ecosystem.