Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s Post

It will be interesting to see if this is the start of the long expected supply curtailment or simply CATL using their strong position to stop losses on the mining side and buy volumes from the market at a discount

🔋 Newcomers in the lithium industry are facing mounting challenges due to a significant drop in spodumene prices, which have decreased by 83% compared to last year. The decline, resulting in prices ranging from $900-1,100/t cif China, has put pressure on these new producers who were able to secure substantial investments during a period of high prices and easy financing. Now that global lithium demand has stalled, China is ramping up its lepidolite production to reduce reliance on South American and Australian imports. The final quarter of 2023 saw steep declines in the share prices of multiple spodumene companies. However, more established producers are faring better in the stock market, with SQM, Albemarle Corporation, Tianqi Lithium Corporation, Livent and Allkem Limited all increasing their share prices by double digits over the same period. Argus forecasts that global lithium demand will rise to 2.6mn t of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2030, from around 936,000t in 2023. Global lithium capacity is expected to grow to just 2.05mn t/yr by 2030. Story by Thomas Kavanagh at Argus Media: https://okt.to/JGlqCo #lithium #metals #miningmetals-news-01-24&utm_content=metals-news-01-24-advocacy&utm_term=advocacy #lithium #metals #mining #ArgusMetals #ArgusMedia

As of 15th April, lithium upstream prices have increased by more than 10% during the year, while the prices of downstream battery materials and battery cells have not followed suit. Amid the sharp fluctuations in lithium prices in 2023, battery material manufacturers will bear serious inventory losses, and production and operations will face many challenges. Some companies will balance production efficiency and strive for market share this year. Looking at the upstream, although the recent rise in lithium prices has led to a rebound in lithium prices, outsourced mining companies still have profits, and the profits of integrated mines are even more impressive. With lithium prices rising and material prices basically unchanged, from an industrial perspective, there is considerable resistance to the upward trend in lithium prices. https://lnkd.in/gdXFBYhA #lithium #nickel #cobalt #manganese

Newcomers in the lithium industry are facing mounting challenges due to a significant drop in spodumene prices, which have decreased by 83% compared to last year. The decline, resulting in prices ranging from $900-1,100/t cif China, has put pressure on these new producers who were able to secure substantial investments during a period of high prices and easy financing. Now that global lithium demand has stalled, China is ramping up its lepidolite production to reduce reliance on South American and Australian imports. The final quarter of 2023 saw steep declines in the share prices of multiple spodumene companies. However, more established producers are faring better in the stock market, with SQM, Albemarle Corporation, Tianqi Lithium Corporation, Livent and Allkem Limited all increasing their share prices by double digits over the same period. Argus forecasts that global lithium demand will rise to 2.6mn t of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2030, from around 936,000t in 2023. Global lithium capacity is expected to grow to just 2.05mn t/yr by 2030. Story by Thomas Kavanagh at Argus Media: https://okt.to/hI761d #lithium #metals #mining

Rising lithium supplies and slowing EV sales have brought lithium prices crashing down, leading to cost-cutting measures and scaled-back expansion plans by producers. The lithium carbonate ex-works China battery price plummeted 83.1% to $13,425 per metric ton on Feb. 7, 2024, from a high of $79,650/t in 2022. While global lithium production is expected to reach a record high in 2023, the glut of the metal and falling sales have led to a sharp decline in prices. To maintain profitability, producers have taken to reducing costs and cutting back on expansions. Check out this snippet to know more. #CriticalMinerals #SupplyChainManagement #CriticalMetals #CriticalRawMaterials #batterymetals #SupplyChainSustainability #Lithium #NetZeroCarbon #Decarbonization #Exploration #ExplorationAndProduction #SupplyChainRisk #MiningIndustry #Mining #MiningExploration #KnowledgeIsPower #KnowledgeTransfer #Recycling #Extraction #Refining #Resilience #MBAgraduate #MineralProcessing #Mines #Mineralogy

🇨🇱 COPPER / LITHIUM: "Codelco to Enter Lithium Market After Signing Accord With SQM" ⛏ (Bloomberg) -- Copper behemoth Codelco is about to become a major global lithium player after signing a partnership that will give the state-owned company a majority stake in SQM’s prized Chilean brine assets. A definitive agreement announced Friday..... 👉 Bloomberg article: https://lnkd.in/dFWzcADv 🌍 TA RawMaterials: https://lnkd.in/d_Np2KpZ - supported by the Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) and EIT RawMaterials 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 🇦🇺 Critical Minerals Institute (CMI): https://lnkd.in/dZqvRG7U 🇪🇺 EIT RawMaterials: https://lnkd.in/d9ynGvnb #lithium #lithiumionbatteries #copper #chile #criticalminerals #mining

#lithium production from Australia #suppliers end 1. Greenbushes Lithium Mine:   - 2024 Production: Estimated to be around 1.5 million tonnes of lithium spodumene concentrate (LCE) per year.  2. Mt Cattlin Lithium Mine:   - 2024 Production: Expected to produce approximately 130,000 tonnes of lithium spodumene concentrate (LCE) per year, down from 205,000 tonnes in 2023.  3. Finniss Lithium Project:   - 2024 Production: Anticipated to yield 80,000 to 90,000 tonnes of lithium spodumene concentrate (LCE) per year.  4. Mt Marion Lithium Mine:   - 2024 Production: The mine is currently undergoing expansion, with plans to increase capacity to 900,000 tonnes of lithium spodumene concentrate (LCE) per year by 2025.

🇨🇳 🇦🇺 🇲🇱 "China’s Ganfeng Buys Out Australian Partner for USD342.7 Million to Take Control of Mali Lithium Mine" (Yicai) May 8 -- Chinese battery materials supplier Ganfeng Lithium Group is paying USD342.7 million for the 40 percent equity held by its partner Australian miner Leo Lithium in a lithium mine in Mali to take full ownership of the mine and ensure a better supply of lithium resources. Mali Lithium, which was set up as an equal joint venture by Ganfeng and Leo Lithium, is a Goulamina spodumene mine. Xinyu-based Ganfeng has hiked its stake to 60 percent in two separate purchases from Leo Lithium since September last year. The goulamina mine has proven reserves of 13.1 million tons of spodumene and 210,000 tons of lithium oxide, according to Ganfeng Lithium. There are speculated reserves of 211 million tons of lithium ore, including 2.9 million tons of lithium oxide..... 👉 Article: https://lnkd.in/driE3SCP 🌍 TA RawMaterials: https://lnkd.in/d_Np2KpZ (funded by Krixos & the EU) #lithium #criticalminerals #batteries #lithiumbatteries #lithiumionbatteries #renewables #mining #evs #electricvehicles

Piedmont Lithium (ASX:PLL, OTC:PLLTL) Ltd is hitting its straps at its North American #Lithium (NAL) operations, setting new quarterly and monthly production records. The company reported shipping some 15,500 dry metric tons (dmt) of spodumene concentrate in the first quarter of 2024, with a record quarterly production of 40,439 dmt at the NAL facility. In March alone the company broke its monthly production record, churning out 15,699 dmt, with an unprecedented lithium recovery rate of 69%. These accomplishments are part of the facility's ramp-up to full run-rate production, which is expected in the second half of the year. The company is prioritising shipments to contract customers, aiming to reduce reliance on the more volatile spot markets. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors #ASX #OTC #PLL #PLLTL #Mining #CriticalMinerals http://ow.ly/ba8S105rnfP

High cost sources of Chinese lithium raw materials are finally under pressure and the recent closure of a major mine potentially marks the beginnings of a turnaround in sentiment. Vertically integrated players can take a haircut upstream for only so long, and with geopolitical tensions playing out through EV tariffs in Europe, Canada and the US, where will reliable lithium chemicals be sourced for regional supply chains? San Jose is a resource to battery chemical project located in western Europe, and benefits from one of the largest lithium resources in the EU. With so many European upstream LiB or automakers curtailing or deferring commitments, Europe's future EV industry will hang in the balance until these localised or regional supply chains are supported.