The Global Lithium Podcast

My guest is Henrique Ribeiro of S&P Global Platts, a leader in providing price information, industry market insights and analytics. In addition to his work in lithium/battery metals price information and analysis, Henrique is also a host on the Platts Future Energy Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss Platts role in providing information about lithium and other battery metals. We cover their methodology for making price assessments and how they factor in lithium product specifications.

We discuss the significance of the “spot” price and why it can vary so significantly from contract price and information found in import/export statistics.

I ask about quality control in the Platts process and how they deal with contacts that may try to “massage” the information they provide.

I ask Henrique for his thoughts on the lithium supply and demand imbalance and when price may “soften”.

We discuss the questions Henrique is most often asked by various industry stakeholders.

Platts does not forecast lithium prices. We will discuss the logic behind that practice.

In a world of many different prices for the same lithium grade, you will learn the value of the spot price as an indicator.

We close with a slow rapid fire.

Find out more at: spglobal.com

My guest is Daniel Jimenez ex SQM and currently running his own advisory firm, iLi Markets (ilimarkets.com). Recorded less than two weeks before the Chilean Presidential election runoff - described as the most divisive in the country's history. We discuss potential impacts of the election on the lithium industry depending on whether the winner is from the right or the left.

At minute 14, we begin a discussion of the Atacama & the current & future production of both SQM & Albemarle from the world's premier brine asset. We we also review the reasons for SQM lagging the pricing results of most competitors. Spoiler alert – we both expect that situation to change.

We also ponder Albemarle’s long & winding road in ramping up production from expansions in Chile.

We move on to a discussion of global supply & demand. Daniel’s 2021 & 2022 total demand numbers are higher than mine but not drastically so.

Daniel provides his thoughts on the potential for new lithium projects in Chile as well as DLE before moving on to the potential & challenges for the EU & North America to supply a significant percentage of their future lithium demand.

We cover the recent rise of Chinese investment in South American lithium projects.

Will recycling contribute significantly to lithium supply before 2030?

Solid state batteries & the potential impact on what lithium raw material requirements.

Rapid fire.

Daniel can be found on Twitter @D_Jimenez_Sch

Dr. Yuan Gao has been a significant player in the lithium ion battery space for a quarter of a century. From his early days at FMC Lithium working in battery R&D to his time with Molycorp in rare earth materials followed by a five-year tenure as CEO of Chinese cathode producer Pulead and most recently as a member of Lithium Americas Board of Directors and as a sought after advisor. Few have the breadth of experience Yuan has.

Dr. Gao holds twenty-one patents.

In this episode we discuss the cathode market in detail from LFP to High Nickel products. We also review the challenges in producing LMFP and “Cobalt Free” High Nickel.

We discuss the regionalization of battery supply chains and why it will be difficult for North America and Europe to play “catch up” with Asia.

We move on to the future of solid state batteries and the challenges faced by the recycling industry. We ponder when recycling industry will transition from processing the scrap of new gigafactories to being part of a truly circular lithium ion battery ecosystem.

As always, we close with rapid fire.

Tom Benson is the lead geologist at Lithium Americas

Topics:

Tom can be found on Twitter @thomasrbenson

My brief remarks on the status of the lithium market followed by Q&A at the Panorama Minero "Lithium South America" event in Buenos Aires on September 29th, 2021. The Q&A begins at 12 minutes. The questions come from a variety of influential people in the world of lithium in South America.

Below of is a list of the questions and the people asking them:

1- Daniel Jiménez, iLi Markets

Your opinion on projects that plan to use DLE, not just in Argentina but also the US & Europe.

2- Miguel Soler: Secretaria de Minería e Hydrocarbons’ de Jujuy

Based on your knowledge and the history of technology evolution during the 20th and present centuryy. How long you believe technologies demanding Lithium will stay with us? before they are replaced by others like Hydrogen and/or new developments ?

3- Flavia Royón, Secretaria de Minería y Energía de Salta

What are the biggest threats you see, associated to the lithium industry development in LatAm in light of: the market dynamics, geopolitics, process technologies and the availability of other critical energy metals?

4- Teresita Regalado, Secretaria de Desarrollo Minero de Catamarca

Thoughts on how to optimize Argentina's opportunity regarding the Lithium supply, taking into account its geographical location with respect to other sources of raw material located close(r) to where the highest industrial consumption is ?

5- José de Castro, COO de Integra Lithium

Why, despite the fact CAPEX, OPEX, Water Footprint and Carbon Footprint are usually higher in most DLE processes than those in conventional evaporation, so many companies have been generating promises on “green and sustainable” processes, contrary to current productions and generating a bad feeling effect in public opinion?

6- Carlos Galli, Consultor/Especialista

We discussed last year about the involvement of OEM (auto makers) in lithium production. Do you see any changes in their approach to try to secure lithium supply? What are your thoughts about this?

7- Alejandra Cardona, de la Cámara Minera de Salta y Mint Intelligence

In the global context, the generation of clean energies is promoted as strategies to fight clámate change. Talingo care of the environment means more mining is needed. How did this impact lithium & other E-mobility related minerals supply projections on a global scale and how does Argentina position itself in this scenario?

8- Alejandro Colombo, Director Periodístico de Panorama Minero

Are you expecting a bigger move from overseas Chinese companies through M&As? What response is expected from the United States and Europe to ensure a sustainable supply chain in the coming years?

9- Ignacio Celorrio, Presidente para Latinoamerica - Lithium Americas

En: Which sources of financing for Li Projects will emerge, in addition to the current ones ? Also, which countries you believe have the biggest potential to take new projects into production ?

10- Asistente al seminario - Event attendee

There is not much talk about Lithium Chloride and solid state batteries use lithium metal. What is the projection of possible Lithium Chloride producers?

The live portion of this 20 minute episode was recorded in the iconic London pub "The Dove" with Benchmark's Simon Moores, his buddy Shay, Standard Lithium CEO Robert Mintak and Standard's Chairman Robert Cross. Initially the meeting was just supposed to be lunch with Simon. When the party grew to five, it seemed like a great opportunity to pull out my IPhone and record an impromptu podcast. The "live" portion is more about people coming out of lockdown and returning to international travel than lithium. I also talk about others I met on my first international trip since March 2020. I was also fortunate to catch up with the management of Livista Energy and the CEO of Fastmarkets and some other companies I am not a liberty to discuss - yet. Shout-outs to Panorama Minero who host a favorite event of mine in Argentina, the good citizens of El Dorado, Arkansas and two locals specifically - you have to listen to find out the reason. Finally, you will hear about plans to get Simon a bit of "southern cultural training" when he travels to Arkansas.

Carlos Galli is a globally recognized expert in lithium brine technology. This is a wide ranging discussion on the lithium market in Argentina including what needs to happen from a policy perspective to fully leverage Argentina’s diverse portfolio of lithium containing salars.

The importance of access to adequate quantities of fresh water for lithium projects and the great debate of how brine use should be considered in the water discussion.

We review the top projects in some detail. LAC/Minera Exar, Orocobre (both Sal de Vida & Cauchari Expansion), Livent's expansion, Neolithium, POSCO, Eramet, Rincon, Lithica, Millennial, etc.

Ganfeng's ambitious plans beyond Cauchari

We also discuss Lake Resources and their recent commentary about their future

Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) is another topic both as it relates to Argentina and other parts of the world.

The discussion strays across the border on occasion as we bring Chile and Bolivia into the discussion.

My guest is Stephen Biggins the Managing Director of Core Lithium. Core is developing the Finniss Lithium Project in the Northern Territory of Australia near the capital city of Darwin. 

We discuss:

Their project: from metallurgy to process details and timing

Relationships with two top level lithium producers – Ganfeng and Yahua

Offtake details

The project DFS

Drilling to grow the reserve base

The benefits of developing a project in the Northern Territory

Lithium “fines” as a by product

The market: entering the “perpetual lithium deficit”

Becoming vertically integrated in the future

Project execution challenges

Building a team

ESG

Rapid fire

My guest is Dale Henderson, Chief Operating Officer, of Pilbara Minerals.

Topics include:

An operations update

Acquiring and restarting Altura’s operations

Increasing production to ~550K MT of spodumene concentrate by mid-2022 and more than a 1,000K MT by mid-decade

The market and price outlook

Financing

Adopting new technology to reduce the operation’s carbon footprint

Potential new products

Company culture

Lessons learned in the lean years

Rapid fire

Dale is on Twitter @henderson_dale 

Pilbara Minerals is on Twitter and Instagram @PilbaraMinerals