One of the major changes we have seen globally in recent years along the clean energy supply chain is the willingness of governments in countries like China, the US, and the EU to jumpstart funding for projects through investment or production tax credits or grants and loans. The Trump Administration has thrown some of this into doubt with a reshuffling of priorities and threats to somehow cancel or rewrite legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act.

My guest today provides a clear-headed view on the need for funding and how to navigate the increasingly rocky seas as the race for green energy dominance accelerates. Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes has a varied and deep history in both the public and private sectors and most recently worked in the Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains Office (MESC) in the Department of Energy where she served as the Deputy Director for Batteries and Critical Materials. While there, she oversaw the deployment of ~$6B in non-dilutive equity and ~$10B in tax credits into the US battery supply chain during the Biden Administration. She is currently Principal at Smoketree Advisors.

If you liked today’s pod on policy, please let me know. I’m on Twitter/X @cberry1 and also find me on Linked In. Further to that, if you’ve got a topic you’d like to see us go deeper on or a good guest, please let me know. Also don’t forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks so much for listening and we’ll see you next time.

This episode of Power Current delves into the intricacies of black mass production with Lee Allen of Fastmarkets, exploring its definition, importance, and the current landscape of the recycling market. Lee Allen shares insights on the geographical distribution of black mass production, challenges in scrap battery supply, and the competitive dynamics affecting pricing. The discussion also highlights China's regulatory changes, the trading ecosystem, and the role of OEMs in the recycling process. Looking ahead, the future of battery recycling is examined, with forecasts indicating significant growth in the sector.

Our guest today is Mr Erik Olson. Erik is President of Venn Strategies and Spokesperson for the North American Graphite Alliance.  He has a wealth of experience in Washington DC serving for 14 years on the staff of Congressman Ron Kind (D- Wisconsin).

The North American Graphite Alliance (NAGA) represents producers of battery-grade natural and synthetic graphite, both of which are used to create anode material for lithium-ion batteries. NAGA’s members are American producers Anovion Technologies, Epsilon Advanced Materials, and NOVONIX, as well as Canadian producers Northern Graphite and Nouveau Monde Graphite.On the pod today we discuss the state of the graphite market, the origins and goals of NAGA, the efficacy of targeted tariffs, the future of green growth and the IRA given the Trump Administration's priorities, competition with China and specific policy proposals for building a strong and resilient graphite supply chain in North America. 

Venn Strategies website: https://vennstrategies.com/

NAGA website: https://graphitealliance.org/

BMTC website: https://batterymaterials.org

Oxford Economics Paper on the Graphite Market: https://graphitealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Enabling-North-American-Graphite-Growth.pdf

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My guest today is Mr. Tem Tumurbat. Tem is co-founder and managing partner at Nomadic Venture Partners. Nomadic is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in digital and light hardware technologies focused on decarbonizing the metals, manufacturing, and transport sectors.

Tem co-founded Nomadic in 2021 and focuses on fund strategy, fundraising, portfolio construction, valuation, and financial analysis.Prior to co-founding NVP, Tem was an investment professional at Resource Capital Funds, managing early to late-stage investments.

Prior to RCF, Tem worked for Newmont Mining Corporation as a mining engineer and then project engineer. In this episode, we discuss Tem’s background and what led him to co-found NVP, his screening process, the state of the investment landscape, what it takes to successfully grow and scale digital technology companies, and hat Tem calls "the 5 T's". 

Nomadic VP website: https://nomadicvp.com/

Nomadic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nomadicvp/

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William Bergh and Eden Yates - Cling Systems Cling

Systems is a company dedicated to true battery circularity through wringing out friction and costs associated with battery procurement to create a true battery second life ecosystem.

Cling is unique in many ways not the least of which is the fact that this is the company’s second time on the podcast. In this episode, we cover how the battery supply chain has evolved, how they think about battery pricing, the use of AI in reducing market friction, recycling versus repurposing, and we finish with advice for entrepreneurs starting out in the battery business.

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In today's episode, we welcome Andy Home, Senior Metals Correspondent at Thompson Reuters. Andy has been covering the metals markets since 1987 and joins us today to travel through time and talk about the past and future for metals including aluminum, nickel, lithium, cobalt, and uranium. We also discuss the importance of narrative in determining price and how the metals markets need to evolve for better transparency. We conclude with Andy's views on AI in journalism. 

Power Current Host Chris Berry and Joe Lowry of Global Lithium™ discuss the current state and future of the lithium market, emphasizing the need for increased supply to meet growing demand, particularly in the electric vehicle sector. They explore the implications of political policies on the lithium supply chain, the importance of focusing on upstream production, and the role of China in the global lithium landscape. The discussion also covers the potential of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology, the challenges of incentive pricing, and the presence of Chinese companies in North America.

In this conversation, Chris Berry and Joe Lowry delve into the complexities of China's economic trajectory compared to Japan's past, the evolution of lithium project development strategies, and personal reflections on writing a book about the lithium industry. They discuss the future of lithium markets, the importance of deep pockets in project development, and share insights on the industry's volatility and potential growth.

In this conversation, we interview Michael Dunne about the current state of the electric vehicle industry, with a focus on the state of play for Western OEMs and their Chinese competitors.

We discuss the shift of automotive production to Asia, the challenges faced by Western OEMs in catching up to Chinese competitors, and whether or not western OEMs have any hope of matching Chinese scale and technological acumen.

We also explore the barriers to widespread EV adoption, including cost and infrastructure, and if the current debate around Chinese "overcapacity" has any validity to it.

We finish with a discussion of lesser-known players in the EV and autonomy space, such as Baidu, Xiaomi, and Vinfast, as well as Michael's favorite poem and how many languages he actually can speak and understand.

He is the author of the forthcoming book titled 'Humiliation No More - China’s Master Plan to Dominate EV Markets and Destroy western Automakers out in Summer 2025.

Today we welcome Ernest Scheyder to discuss his recently published book, "The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives."

Ernest is the first author I have hosted on the podcast and given our mutual interest in the metals business, we cover a lot of ground here. Ernest does a terrific job of putting a human face on some complex issues as well as sharing some great stories from his time on the road researching this book (ask him about the Norseman Burger).

Ernest Scheyder is a senior correspondent for Reuters, covering the green energy transition and the minerals that undergird it. He previously covered the US shale oil revolution, politics, and the environment, and held roles at the Associated Press and the Bangor Daily News. A native of Maine, Scheyder is a graduate of the University of Maine and Columbia Journalism School. 

Link to the book and other information about Ernest can be found at https://www.ernestscheyder.com/

In this episode of The Power Current, Chris welcomes to the podcast Frank Wunderlich-Pfeifer, a Germany-based journalist who has been a vocal proponent of sodium-ion battery technology, to discuss the evolving developments of and technologies around sodium-ion batteries.

During the podcast, we discuss the controversy around sodium-ion tech including pros and cons of sodium-ion versus lithium-ion, the pace of market penetration for sodium ion (it's faster than you think), and optimal end uses in transport and ESS.

Frank is active on Twitter/X (@FrankWunderli13) and will be publishing his own Substack called Superlithic.

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