Lithium – Page 11 – Republic of Mining

Patriot Battery Metals hits back at short-seller report – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – July 10, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.mining.com/

Canadian lithium explorer Patriot Battery Metals (TSX-V: PMET) (ASX: PMT) refuted on Monday claims published in a short-seller report, stating the assertions made by Night Market Research were “factually inaccurate and misleading.” The short-seller said on July 6 it attributed Patriot’s stock price rally to promotion efforts with unnamed marketing outlets that other “Tier-1” developers would avoid.

“Patriot Battery Metals is a rare mining ‘unicorn’ – a lithium explorer ascending to a $2-billion valuation despite having acquired its core asset for $8-million only 16 months ago and lacking an established maiden resource,” the report said.

Mining giant Rio Tinto dips toes in Canadian lithium projects in rare pursuit of EV metal – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – July 10, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://financialpost.com/

Signs option agreement with two Canadian lithium companies

Rio Tinto Ltd., one of the world’s largest mining companies, doesn’t currently produce any lithium, but two agreements in as many months with Canadian companies suggest the giant is quietly exploring projects containing the metal that’s expected to play a key role in powering the energy transition away from fossil fuels.

Rio on July 10 signed an option agreement for about $115.7 million with Longueuil, Que.-based Azimut Exploration Inc., giving it the opportunity to own at least 75 per cent of the Corvet and Kaanaayaa lithium properties in Quebec’s Eeyou Istchee James Bay region.

Site visit: Unearthing the lithium ‘gold rush’ in Nevada – by Henry Lazenby (Northern Miner – July 6, 2023)

July 10, 2023

https://www.northernminer.com/

While precious metals-focused juniors are working to revive Nevada’s tired Tonopah Silver District, lithium discoveries to the north, west and south of the desert town’s doorstep could again kick the boom-bust local economy into high gear.

Among a handful of prospectors jumping to capitalize on the battery metal’s EV potential are American Lithium (TSXV: LI), Tearlach Lithium (TSXV: TEA; OTC: TELHF), American Battery Technology Company (OTCQX: ABML) and Century Lithium (TSXV: LCE; OTCQX: CYDVF), all emerging as critical players in the region’s nascent lithium mining industry. They want to exploit lithium’s potential while emphasizing sustainability and community engagement, The Northern Miner learnt on a recent tour of the district’s lithium exploration plays.

Chinese owner of Manitoba mine wants to drain lake to extract more cesium from one of world’s few deposits – Bartley Kives (CBC News Manitoba – July 6, 2023)

July 6, 2023

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/

The Chinese owner of the Tanco mine in eastern Manitoba has revived talk of partly draining a lake in order to extract more cesium from one of the world’s few deposits of the critical mineral.

Sinomine Resource Group is musing about a long-term redevelopment of its mine it purchased in 2019 along the shore of Bernic Lake, a small Canadian Shield body of water located between Whiteshell and Nopiming provincial parks. The goal is to reach cesium that can not be mined right now because it’s embedded in vertical columns that hold up the roof of the underground mine.

Australia forecasts brutal lithium price correction as output surges – by Frik Els (Mining.com – July 4, 2023)

July 5, 2023

https://www.mining.com/

The lithium market has been in turmoil with dramatic price swings over the last five years as demand from electric cars take off and global supply growth struggles to keep up.

In its quarterly report released on Monday, the Australian government said it expects spodumene prices to decline slightly from an average of $4,368 a tonne in 2022 to average $4,357 a tonne in 2023 as the precipitous decline from record spot prices in the second half of last year take time to feed into long-term supply contracts.

Indigenous in Argentina appeal to Pope Francis amid mining protests – by Eduardo Campos Lima (Crux Now – July 5, 2023)

July 5, 2023

https://cruxnow.com/

SÃO PAULO – Two weeks after the northwestern Jujuy province in Argentina approved a broad constitutional reform, indigenous communities and labor unions, supported by an official arm of the Argentine bishops’ conference, are demonstrating against it and demanding its revocation.

Groups of protesters have been blockading roads and marching against the legal changes, which they say put in danger their right to occupy traditional lands, their access to water, and their right to manifest against the government.

Mining the Northwest: How Northern Ontario’s first lithium mine and refinery project could come together – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 4, 2023)

July 5, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Avalon Advanced Materials gets back on the hop in striking partnership deals, expediting government approvals to feed the electric vehicle industry

Zeeshan Syed claims Avalon Advanced Materials is out to create a “catalytic event” in selecting a site in Thunder Bay to place Ontario’s first proposed lithium processing refinery. After years of much talk and little action, the Toronto-based junior miner took a great leap forward in June with the announcement that a former forest products mill site in the city’s north end is the spot for a lithium hydroxide conversion plant.

Avalon also introduced a joint venture partnership with Antwerp-headquartered Sibelco, a deal that brings $63-million to the table to bring Separation Rapids, its Kenora-area lithium deposit, into production by late 2025, early 2026.

UK’s first commercial lithium mine could supply two-thirds of the country’s needs by 2030 – by Julia Robinson (Chemistry World – July 4, 2023)

July 4, 2023

https://www.chemistryworld.com/

The UK’s first commercial lithium mine is to open in Cornwall, following a new partnership between Imerys, the world leader in mineral-based solutions, and British Lithium.

It has been estimated that the site contains enough lithium to sustain mining there for 30 years, producing around 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent annually. By the end of the decade, the mine should be producing enough of the metal for batteries to power 500,000 electrical vehicles per year.

Lithium Scarcity Pushes Carmakers Into the Mining Business – by Clifford Krauss and Jack Ewing (New York Times – July 2, 2023)

July 4, 2023

https://www.nytimes.com/

Eager to avoid falling further behind Tesla and Chinese car companies, many Western auto executives are bypassing traditional suppliers and committing billions of dollars on deals with lithium mining companies.

They are showing up in hard hats and steel-toed boots to scope out mines in places like Chile, Argentina, Quebec and Nevada to secure supplies of a metal that could make or break their companies as they move from gasoline to battery power.

China jumps ahead in the rush to secure lithium from Africa – by Annie Lee (Bloomberg News – July 3, 2023)

July 4, 2023July 4, 2023

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

China’s early move to tap new centers of lithium supply across Africa is reaping rewards, helping the top electric-vehicle battery producer navigate a tight market for the key metal.

Spurred by a flurry of investment from Chinese companies, mines across the continent are forecast to increase production of lithium raw materials more than 30-fold from last year’s volume by 2027, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. Africa will account for 12% of global supply by then, compared with 1% in 2022.

Threatened by shortages, electric car makers race for supplies of lithium for batteries – by Joe McDonald (Washington Post – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://www.washingtonpost.com/

BEIJING — Threatened by possible shortages of lithium for electric car batteries, automakers are racing to lock in supplies of the once-obscure “white gold” in a politically and environmentally fraught competition from China to Nevada to Chile.

General Motors Co. and the parent company of China’s BYD Auto Ltd. went straight to the source and bought stakes in lithium miners, a rare step in an industry that relies on outside vendors for copper and other raw materials. Others are investing in lithium refining or ventures to recycle the silvery-white metal from used batteries.

Co-creator of lithium-ion battery and the oldest Nobel winner dies at age 100 – by Jim Vertuno (Associated Press – June 26, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://apnews.com/

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — John Goodenough, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work developing the lithium-ion battery that transformed technology with rechargeable power for devices ranging from cellphones, computers, and pacemakers to electric cars, has died at 100, the University of Texas announced Monday.

Goodenough died Sunday at an assisted living facility in Austin, the university announced. No cause of death was given. Goodenough was a faculty member at Texas for nearly 40 years. Goodenough was the oldest person to receive a Nobel Prize when he shared the award with British-born American scientist M. Stanley Whittingham and Japan’s Akira Yoshino.

Court to hear appeal over Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine opposed by tribes, environmentalists – by Scott Sonner (Associated Press – June 27, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://apnews.com/

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A U.S. appeals court will consider challenges Tuesday to a huge lithium mine in Nevada in a case that pits environmentalists and Native Americans against President Joe Biden’s plans to combat climate change and could have broad implications for mining operations across the West.

For the first time since it blocked construction of an Arizona copper mine last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear oral arguments in a two-year-old legal battle with striking similarities to the Arizona case. The Nevada mine is in the works near the Oregon line and would involve extraction of the silvery-white metal used in electric-vehicle batteries.

Should Big Oil Get Into The Lithium Business? – by Irina Slav (Oil Price – June 26, 2023)

June 28, 2023

https://oilprice.com/

In March 2021, Schlumberger announced a pilot project led by its subsidiary Schlumberger New Energy. The project was supposed to test a new method of extracting lithium much more quickly and efficiently.

Also in 2021, a joint venture between All-American Lithium and an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary received a package of patents for new lithium extraction technologies and processes.

Fast-forward three years and Exxon has also joined the lithium show. The supermajor last month said it had acquired drilling rights for an area in Arkansas with the potential for substantial lithium reserves. Big Oil is quietly going into lithium.

Chile Details Its National Lithium Strategy – by Catherine Osborn (Foreign Policy – June 23, 2023)

June 26, 2023

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The country’s moves are being closely watched amid the global scramble for critical minerals.

When Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced preliminary plans for a national lithium strategy in April—one that would increase government participation in the lucrative sector—details were scarce. Investors gained some clarity last week when the Chilean government released a 33-page document that expands upon its initial pledges with specific timelines and targets.

Chile is currently the world’s second-largest producer of lithium, a critical mineral that is used in electric car batteries and key to the global green energy transition.