LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?

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LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 10/12/17, 13:55

https://www.rts.ch/info/sciences-tech/8 ... -2017.html


The price of lithium should continue its crazy growth in 2017

While the price of lithium rose by nearly 60% last year, it should continue its crazy growth in 2017, according to the findings of recent studies on the issue.

The price of lithium has been steadily increasing since 2011. This evolution is explained by a demand that continues to grow.

Nowadays, lithium is everywhere: mobile phones, watches or cooks, even in certain psychiatric drugs. If the main consumer remains heavy industry, the potential is the greatest in other areas, as explained in Tuesday in the morning of the RTS Dominique Casaï, founder of URAM SA, expert company in raw materials :

"Almost 40% of the demand is linked to batteries with still a component of mainly electronic batteries and therefore the market for batteries for vehicles is growing by around 30% per year but it is still a minority of lithium demand ".
Four firms on the market

On the supply side, only four firms share nearly all of the world's production. Mainly Chilean, American and Chinese - they have long benefited from this market that is organized by mutual agreement. Lithium is a product that is traded directly. Prices are not officially fixed.

But the offer is also in full evolution, according to Dominique Casaï: "The price explosion in 2016 seems exaggerated compared to a demand which grows by about 9% per year. It should be noted that lithium is not particularly rare in the earth's crust ".

And even abundant in places: the Altiplano region in Bolivia would have 20% of the world's lithium.

The recent exploitation of deposits in Argentina and the United States, as well as the arrival of new operators on the market, should eventually allow the price of lithium to be regulated.

Sarah Clement / lan
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 10/12/17, 13:57

Lithium in Quebec, and it's almost industrial:

First important for Nemaska ​​Lithium

Francis Halin | QMI Agency | Posted on 5 December 2017

Quebec will soon be a world leader in lithium for electric car batteries, predicts Nemaska ​​Lithium after producing its first tonne and a half of finished products from its Whabouchi mine, north of Chibougamau, at its Shawinigan plant.

"This is a world first to have converted lithium ore battery-grade hydroxide electrochemical ... it's a major event," enthuses Guy Bourassa, CEO of Nemaska ​​Lithium, valued to more than 820 $ millions. The company, headquartered in Quebec City, targets revenues of 400 million US $ per year.

The project amounts to more than half a billion dollars. The Nemaska ​​Lithium plant, located at the former Resolute Forest Products site in Grand-Mère, Shawinigan, cost 300 $ million and the mine, 200 $ million. Production must start at the end of 2018.

Open to the world
Guy Bourassa also believes that we must open up to the world and look at other lithium battery markets as lucrative, if not more, than Tesla, often cited as an example.

http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2017/12/05/p ... -lithium-1


.....

Image

The lithium hydroxide supplied by Nemaska ​​Lithium is derived from a spodumene concentrate of 6,3% Li2O produced from a bulk sample taken at the Whabouchi mine during the 2017 year. Approximately 1 100 tonnes of concentrate has been produced and this concentrate will be converted over the next few months into lithium hydroxide samples to enable customers around the world to undertake qualification of Nemaska ​​Lithium products.
........


https://www.commercemonde.com/2017/12/h ... e-lithium/
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 10/12/17, 13:57

Top Lithium-Producing Countries
Here's a look at the world's top lithium-producing countries from 2015, as per the US Geological Survey.


November 2, 2016

The lithium market continues to grow at a faster pace, and 2015 was no exception for the top lithium-producing countries. While prices for many other metals and energy commodities felt significant pressure last year, lithium prices have been a tear.

Continued developments from Tesla Motors stoked further interest in the mineral, which is not the only reason for lithium's success.

Despite accounting for only a fraction of lithium demand worldwide, Tesla has contributed to much of the excitement in the junior lithium space, encouraging more junior milling companies to switch to lithium.

Given the growing importance of energy and lithium-ion batteries, the United States is one of the world's leading suppliers of lithium batteries. Lithium's uses extend far beyond rechargeable batteries, but many predict that this application will dominate demand for the metal in coming years.

Here's a look at the top lithium-producing countries, as per 2015 data reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS).

1. Australia
Mine production: 13,400 MT


First on the top lithium-producing countries is Australia. In 2015, Australian mines delivered 13,400 metric tons (MT) of lithium, an increase of 100 tons from the year prior. The country is home to the Greenbushes lithium project, which is owned and operated by Talison Li thium, a subsidiary jointly owned by China's Tianqi Group and US based Albemarle.

Greenbushes is the world's largest known single lithium reserve, and has been operational for over 25 years. The location is a boon to lithium producers, as it provides relatively easy access for Asian electronics companies, which are the world's top lithium consumers.

Australia holds roughly 1.5 million MT of lithium reserves, according to the USGS. It is worth noting that much of it is exported to China in the form of hard-rock spodumene, where it is then further processed into lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide.

2. Chile
Mine production: 12,900 MT


Chile provided the second-highest amount of lithium last year, upping its production from 11,500 MT in 2014 to 11,700 MT last year. Overall, Chilean mines feature the largest confirmed lithium reserves in the world, with over 7,500,000 MT of lithium. Australia, which features the second-largest reserves.

In particular, the Atacama Salt Flat is the most significant source of Chile's massive lithium production. BBC News reported that one project alone is about 20 percent of the world's total lithium. While Australia lithium extracts from traditional hard-rock mines, Chile's lithium is found in brines below the surface of salt flats.

These strands are collected and treated in separate lithium from wastewater. The region is extremely arid, making it conductive to lithium extraction via evaporation ponds.


3. Argentina
Mine production: 3,800 MT


Argentina increased its lithium production by 600 MT in 2015 to China's overtake as the world's third largest lithium-producing country. Of note, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile included the "lithium triangle." Argentina benefits from the same geological conditions that created the lithium-rich salt flats that fuel Chilean lithium production.

The most important salt flat in Argentina is the Salar del Hombre Muerto. While the high lithium content is still under development, projects are still in development.

Meanwhile, the election of Mauricio Macri in Argentina has brought to a political shift that is expected to be a win for the mining industry in the country.


4. China
Mine production: 2,200 MT


Fourth on the top lithium-producing countries is China, although it trailed behind in terms of mined production. In 2015, China put out just 2,300 MT of lithium. That represents a drop of 100 MT of 2015 production.

The country's massive electronics manufacturing industry means that China is also the world's largest consumer of lithium. However, China's lithium industry has yet to fully ramp up lithium extraction. The majority of Chinese lithium has come from the Chang Tang plain in Western Tibet.

That said, the country is rushing to develop its lithium production capacity, and has plenty of room to grow. The USGS pegs the country's lithium reserves at 3,500,000 tones.

For now, China gets much of its raw lithium supply from Australia. That system is working well so far; Chinese companies Sichuan Tianqi Lithium and Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium are two of the top producers of lithium products worldwide.


5. Zimbabwe
Mine production: 900 MT


Zimbabwe's lithium output held steady from 2014, with the country putting out 900 MT of the mineral in 2015. Privately-held Bikita Minerals controls nearly all of the country's lithium mining.


6. Portugal
Mine production: 300 MT


While Portugal is a major player in the lithium industry, it remains a major player in the lithium industry. Overall, the country produced 300 tons of lithium last year.

The majority of the country's known lithium stores are centrally located in the Goncalo aplite-pegmatite field. There are other areas of the world that may contain large amounts of lithium, but further exploration would be required.


7. Brazil
Mine production: 160 MT


Similarly, Brazil contributed 160 tones of lithium to global output in both 2014 and 2015. Minas Gerais and Ceara However, Brazil 's known lithium reserves remain relatively small.


8. United States
Mine production: undisclosed


Rounding out the top lithium-producing countries for 2015 is the United States. The US is home to a single lithium mine controlled by Rockwood Holdings, which was acquired by Albemarle in 2015. The operation is located in Nevada, and accounts for all of the country's lithium output. The US Geological Survey does not release national production numbers to protect the company's trade secrets.

Nevada has become a hot spot for lithium, and in particular the Clayton Valley, more

http://investingnews.com/daily/resource ... countries/
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 16/12/17, 14:12

More lithium at CANADA, near James Bay:

20 years of life for a lithium mine east of Eastmain

Patrick Rodrigue the 15 December 2017

Nearly 41 million tonnes of lithium oxide ore could be extracted from the world-class James Bay deposit, about 100 kilometers east of the Eastmain Cree community.

The Australian company Galaxy Resources has recently updated the resources of this project located near the 381 km Road Stop on the James Bay Road and plans to operate in the open for at least 20 years.

While the previous assessment of this deposit discovered in the 1960 years evoked a potential of 11,8 million tonnes of ore in indicated resources and 10,5 million tonnes of ore in inferred resources, it now totals 40,8 million tonnes of ore, essentially in indicated resources.

In a statement, Galaxy Resources chief executive Anthony Tse said the nearly doubled resource increase confirms James Bay's world-class lithium deposit status.

"With its high 1,40% lithium oxide content, deposit size, low rock-to-ore ratio and advantageous geographic location, our project will be one of the least expensive lithium projects to operate. of the world, "he said.

Environmental Assessment

After analyzing the file, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has ruled that the James Bay Project will be subject to a public assessment. The population has until January 19 2018 to send in writing their comments on the environmental components on which the project is likely to lead to impacts and on the elements to be examined during the evaluation.

https://www.lechoabitibien.ca/actualite ... tmain.html
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 04/02/18, 14:35

Huge Lithium project in China, 770 $ million investment.

China: Lithium Battery Production Site in China's Qinghai Province

french.china.org.cn the 03-02-2018

The construction of a lithium carbonate production site, a raw material needed to manufacture lithium batteries, is scheduled to begin in March in Qinghai, a Chinese province rich in lithium.

The project, which forecasts an annual production of 30.000 tons and which requires an investment of 4,85 billion yuan (770 million dollars), is led by a joint venture between the Chinese leader in the construction of new energy vehicles BYD, the Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Group Co. Ltd. and an investment company based in Shenzhen.

BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu said on Saturday that BYD was mastering salt lake lithium extraction techniques.

A new BYD battery factory in Qinghuai will begin production in June. With an investment of four billion yuan, the plant in Xining, capital of Qinghai, will have an annual production capacity of 10 GWh lithium batteries.

Qinghai, in northwestern China, has created a complete industrial chain of new energy vehicles ranging from lithium extraction to the production of lithium batteries and new energy vehicles.

The Qairhan Salt Lake, covering more than 5.800 square kilometers in Qinghai, is home to deposits of over 60 billion tons of various resources, including potassium, sodium, magnesium and lithium.


http://french.china.org.cn/business/txt ... 402183.htm

The Wikipedia page on this lake which is 8 times larger than Lake Geneva. It is the largest lake in China.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai_Lake
This lake at 3200 m altitude is reduced by lack of water supply.
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 18/05/18, 23:01

Lithium - Tesla secures supplies in Australia

Michael TORREGROSSA 18 May 2018

The Australian company Kidman Resources announced this Thursday 17 May that it would provide lithium for Tesla.

"The agreement is for an initial term of three years, at a fixed price, from the delivery of the first product, and contains two three-year term options" says the release of Kidman Resources, without giving more details about under the terms of the agreement with the California group.

For Kidman, the agreement comes less than 15 days after the announcement of a new lithium processing site. Located in Kwinana, Western Australia, it will be operated by Western Australia Lithium, a 50:50 joint venture owned by Kidman Resources and its Chilean partner Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM).

Western Australia Lithium plans to commission the 2021 refinery, with an initial capacity of approximately 44.000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide or 37.000 tonnes of lithium carbonate.

For Tesla, this new operation anticipates the ramp-up of its Gigafactory 1, in Nevada, and is part of a large series of transactions to secure its supply of rare earths.

http://www.automobile-propre.com/breves ... australie/
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 19/05/18, 13:21

Namibia: Desert Lion to build a lithium plant costing 7 millions of Canadian dollars

Ecofin Agency 17 May 2018

The lithium producer Desert Lion Energy announced Wednesday, the end of the estimate by Tulela Processing Solutions, the cost of the 1 phase flotation plant of its Desert Lion Energy project in Namibia. The facility, with an annual processing capacity of 350 000 to 400 000 tonnes, is expected to cost the company approximately 7 million Canadian dollars (70 million Namibian dollars).

"The 1 Flotation Plant is an essential part of our execution strategy, allowing us to continue to generate cash and systematically reduce project risks. The low estimated cost further demonstrates the specific benefits of Desert Lion Energy project assets, "commented Tim Johnston (pictured), the company's CEO.

The Desert Lion Energy project will be developed in three phases. During the first phase, the company will process ores from historical inventories from the Rubicon and Helikon mines. The second phase will focus on large-scale mining and production from in situ materials, from a total of 250 000 to 300 000 tonnes per year of lithium concentrate. As for the last phase, she will see the company produce Walvis Bay 25 000 tons / year of lithium carbonate.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/metaux/170 ... -canadiens
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 27/05/18, 15:32

following this post from 10 dec 2017: http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 8#p2263358

Nemaska ​​Lithium mine raises 280 $ million Canadian for the development of the Whabouchi Lithium Mine.

Nemaska ​​closed $ 280M to develop Whabouchi lithium mine

Michael Allan McCrae Mining May 23, 2018

Quebec-based Nemaska ​​Lithium announced on Tuesday it was raised to help its lithium mine to production.

Nemaska ​​sold off on the news, declining 15% today to 98 cents a share. The 52-week high for Nemaska ​​was $ 2.44 a share.

"Today marks a big day in the life of Nemaska ​​Lithium, as we are announcing the last piece of financing required to start the commercial development of the Whabouchi lithium mine project," said Guy Bourassa, President and CEO of Nemaska ​​Lithium, in a news release.

The Whabouchi is located on 300 km from Chibougamau. The company's feasibility study outlines a combined open pit and underground mine. During the first 20 years, production will be derived from an open-pit developed to a maximum depth of 190 meters and with an average strip ratio of 2.2 to 1. The open pit will be mined using a standard fleet of off-road mining trucks and hydraulic excavators at a rate of 2,740 tons of ore per day. Mine life is 33 years.

"This project financing package, which covers capital expenditures of both the Whabouchi mine and Shawinigan electrochemical plant, project contingencies, working capital requirements and financing costs will ensure the future of Nemaska ​​Lithium," says Bourassa.

"This will also allow the Corporation to stay on target to initiate the commissioning of the Whabouchi mine by second half of calendar year 2019 and start commissioning the Shawinigan electrochemical plant during the first half of calendar year 2020".

Co-lead underwriters of the financing were National Bank Financial, BMO Capital Markets and Cantor Fitzgerald Canada.

http://www.mining.com/nemaska-closes-28 ... hium-mine/
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 14/06/18, 20:52

The United States relaunch the race lithium

By Claire Fages RFI 14 June 2018

Because it enters the composition of the batteries of the electric vehicles, lithium has just been inscribed on the list of strategic metals by the United States. Lithium mining projects are proliferating on American soil.


The United States is relaunching the lithium race on their own soil. They only had one lithium mine still in operation in Nevada, which is why Tesla, the electric car manufacturer, had set up its first gigafactory, its electric batteries, because they need this white metal.

From Nevada to North Carolina

But in recent months, lithium mine projects are flourishing again. In Nevada, the Lithium Americas Corp group plans to develop a deposit of 6 million tons of reserves, it would be one of the largest in the world. The American group Albermarle, the global lithium giant, so far more active outside US borders, wants to reopen a closed mine there are 25 years in North Carolina. In the same state, a smaller mining company Piedmont Lithium has even been approached for another mining project by American automakers ...

Australia's new global giant

The United States will certainly not become the first world producer that they were still in the 90 years, when Chile began to exploit its salty lakes, salars, where it was enough to let evaporation do the work. But the tripling of lithium prices for a little over three years (from 5000 dollars per ton in 2014 to more than 15000 dollars end 2017) has given back to rock mining lithium some profitability. Especially since Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, low-cost lithium countries have so far limited their production.

China takes control of Chilean lithium

To the point that Australia became last year the first lithium producer in the world, ahead of Chile. Projects are also underway in Zimbabwe. And so in the United States.

Be careful though to a recent event that could put everything in question: China has twisted the arm of Chile to give him 24% of its lithium champion, Sociedad quimica y minera or SQM. But the Chinese group's stated objective is to double Atacama's production by the end of next year, to quadruple it in seven years. This could calm prices and shower enthusiasm for new North American mining projects.

http://www.rfi.fr/emission/20180614-eta ... -sqm-chine
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Re: LITHIUM, enough resources for all electric vehicles?




by moinsdewatt » 16/09/18, 23:26

From lithium to Portugal


Portugal braces for a rush on lithium, the new "white gold"


By AFP, published the 13 / 09 / 2018
Boticas (Portugal)

"The more you dig, the more you find", rejoices David Archer at the foot of a drilling crane which, with a deafening noise, perforates the granite rock of the remote mountains of northern Portugal in order to measure its lithium content. , which has become a "white gold" since the demand for electric batteries explodes.
The British mining company he heads, Savannah Resources, hopes to open in 2020 "the first major lithium mine in Europe," he told AFP on the heights of Boticas, in the Vila Real region.

On Monday again, Savannah announced that it had revised the estimate of the Mina do Barroso deposits up by 44%, to 20,1 million tonnes of ore with a lithium content of 1,04%.

25 kilometers away, in the neighboring town of Montalegre, the Portuguese company Lusorecursos also claims to be seated on "the largest lithium deposit in Europe", or 30 million tonnes of ore with a grade of 1,09% that it plans to start mining in 2020 as well, according to its financial director Ricardo Pinheiro.

"The explosion of the battery industry has caused a real craze for lithium" and its market value has tripled in three years, explains Lucas Bednarski, director of the specialist market research firm Lithium Today.

- Reducing European dependence -

This white silver metal, which is already used to make lithium-ion batteries used in phones and laptops, will be more and more sought after because of the development of the electric car, which needs much more powerful batteries.

"Lithium could be worth gold for Portugal, since we estimate that in 2025 the European battery market will be worth 250 billion euros per year", argues the Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Energy , Maros Sefcovic.

For almost a year, the Slovak commissioner has been carrying out a sector project capable of building a new generation of "green", recyclable and reusable electric batteries within the EU.

First step: reduce the dependence on components. Europe imports 86% of the lithium it consumes, produced mainly in Chile and Australia.

Portugal is already the main European producer, with a market share of 11%, but its production is entirely used for ceramics and glassware.

"We know that Portugal has the largest deposits in Europe. The question is whether it is economically viable to extract it, because it is a very competitive world market," said Lucas Bednarski.

According to his estimates, the production of lithium extracted from Portuguese granite rock is approximately 2,5 times more expensive than that produced from Chilean brine deposits.

- International invitation to tender -

"We are witnessing a rush for white gold in several parts of the world. For Europe and its automotive sector, the idea of ​​a supply chain from ore to electric cars is very attractive," says Howard Klein, of New York-based investment advisory firm RK Equity.

In Portugal, the race is already launched with the projects of Boticas and Montalegre, who hope to obtain in the coming months the final green light of investors and authorities.

And, by the end of the year, the government will launch an international call for tenders to allot the exploration rights for a dozen other potential deposits in order to meet the "great appetite of investors" who have formulated a 2016 requests since XNUMX, the Secretary of State for Energy, Jorge Seguro Sanches told AFP.

But the Portuguese state no longer wants to limit itself to receiving royalties from the extraction activity. "We want to seize the opportunity to develop industrial sectors linked to the processing of ore, the manufacture of batteries, the automotive sector or renewable energies," said Mr. Seguro Sanches.

In Mina do Barroso, Savannah Resources plans to produce a concentrate of lithium-rich ore for export.

The Lusorecursos project in Montalegre is more ambitious since it intends to build a plant capable of transforming this mineral before selling it to the battery industry.



https://www.google.fr/amp/s/lexpansion. ... 8.amp.html
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