In this solo episode, I discuss the state of the lithium market: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Despite the market’s overreaction to misinformation from China about the impact of a mine reopening on the supply and demand balance and the threat of sodium ion, lithium’s long-term fundamentals have never looked better.

Demand continues to go from strength to strength. Meanwhile, production shortfalls, project delays and efforts by African countries to retain more of the value created from their resources continue to put pressure on supply.

Topics:

ALB's bullish market commentary

SQM displaces ALB as the #1 producer

CATL: #1 in GWH & misinformation

The pulled US lithium tender

The midstream/downstream future in Oz

US critical metals "hype machine"

Tesla's long ramp up in Texas

Buy the book

Venkee Sharma is the Executive Chairman of Aquatech, a global leader in water and critical metals technology.

Topics:

Aquatech’s “superpower”

Seizing opportunities in lithium

The Team

Aquatech’s view of the market

DLE

The op-ex challenge

Believers in brine

The future of battery grade

Fans of the Smackover

Different customers – different problems

Selling solutions not technology

A family culture

The White Silver Project

Pearl

Rapid fire

David Park is the CEO of Standard Lithium.

Topics:

Leaving retirement for a lithium junior

Capital challenges

Partners

Critical success factors

Getting to FID

Offtake agreements

DLE

The Team

Bipartisan projects

The benefits of Arkansas

The Smackover vs. hard rock

Price

"6 hours of angst"

Shout outs

Rapid fire

Chris Berry interviewed me about my new book "Lithium Confidential" at the the Fastmarkets Global Lithium event in Las Vegas. The interview was in front of a live audience.

The book is available via both as a paperback and e-book via Amazon but can also be ordered from you local bookstore no matter where you live.

Jon Evans is the CEO of Lithium Americas and a long-time industry veteran.

Topics:

How the industry has changed since 2008

Why price stays higher for longer this cycle

The battery market

After the first Thacker Pass ton

US lithium demand

Not Jon's first rodeo

Partners

A lesson from Ted Lasso

What keeps Jon motivated

Sulfuric acid

LAC's position on the cost curve

America's midstream issue

Africa

What success at Thacker Pass looks like

This is a solo episode where I talk about market commentary, hype from the US Government, where China is really dominant, the big banks return to lithium, price, and Lithium Confidential.

My guests are two voices from the brine world. Murray Brooker and Clint Van Marrewijk.

Topics:

Why do brine projects take so long?

WA's hard rock advantages

Will brine development be faster in this cycle

The impact of big balance sheets

What makes a great brine project?

Brine recovery rates

The "promise" of DLE

No DLE, no Smackover

"Brine without borders"

Modular brine production

The brine talent pool

Rapid fire

Chris Reed is the Managing Director of Neometals

Topics:

Status of the lithium market

What China got right

Pivoting from urban mining to brine

LFP

Conversion in the West

Africa

DLE

The project in Utah

SPAC of the century?

Oh Canada

Lithium history lessons

Demand in 2030

CATL's lithium strategy?

Supply in 2035

Geopolitics

Tu Le is the founder of Sino Auto Insights, an innovation & management consulting firm.

Topics:

The Global EV picture

The final frontier for China EVs

The US "China EV" strategy

GM and Ford

The status of FSD (full self-driving)

The changing perception of Tesla in China

What's next for BYD and Tesla?

When will CATL be producing batteries in the US?

The "best of the rest" China EV companies

Rapid fire

The growing angst in China over lithium supply

Tom Benson (aka the "Doctor of Volcanoes") is the Vice President of Exploration at Lithium Argentina.

Topics:

Being creative in exploration

The major upgrade to the Cauchari - Olaroz resource

Bigger than the Atacama?

Tom's history at Thacker Pass

Lithium Africa - Tom's latest focus

The Africa lithium "recipe"

Use of new technology & AI in exploration

"Permitting Purgatory"

Making Africa a lithium success

Comments on the Smackover & Salton Sea

It's "nice to be nice"

Rapid fire