Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles – Page 122

Billionaire Gertler Buys Royalty Rights in Congo Cobalt Project – by Michael Kavanagh and William Clowes (Bloomberg News – November 17, 2020)

November 18, 2020

https://www.bloombergquint.com/

(Bloomberg) — A company controlled by Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, who is under U.S. sanctions for alleged corruption, bought rights from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s state mining company to royalties from one of the world’s largest cobalt projects.

While the contract was published by the mining company Gecamines in October, it was signed in June 2017 — six months before the U.S. government blacklisted the businessman for “opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals” in Congo.

Gertler has never been charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing, and he’s hired a number of lawyers in the U.S. to fight the sanctions. The previously unreported royalty stream relates to Eurasian Resources Group Sarl’s Metalkol project and means Gertler’s companies are entitled to a share of revenue from three of the biggest cobalt mines globally.

Thunder Bay could be the site for a northwestern Ontario lithium mineral processing hub – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – November 17, 2020)

November 17, 2020

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Two northwestern Ontario exploration and mine development companies are eyeing Thunder Bay as a potential site for a lithium processing plant.

Toronto’s Avalon Advanced Materials and Rock Tech Lithium of Vancouver signed a letter of intent to team up on establishing a facility that makes lithium sulphate, a chemical used in making lithium-ion batteries. It would the first facility of its type in North America, said Avalon president-CEO Don Bubar in an interview with Northern Ontario Business.

The facility would accept lithium mineral concentrates from Avalon’s Separation Rapids deposit, 70 kilometres north of Kenora, and Rock Tech’s Georgia Lake deposit, located 17 kilometres south of the town of Beardmore, just off Highway 11.

Mexico moves ahead with lithium nationalization plans – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – November 17, 2020)

November 17, 2020

https://www.mining.com/

Mexico is moving ahead with plans to nationalize its emerging lithium industry after a member of the ruling Morena party introduced a draft bill in parliament last week, which calls for the battery metal to be deemed the exclusive property of the nation, with production controlled by the state.

Alejandro Armenta, head of the Senate’s finance commission, is proposing the creation of a new state-owned entity, LitioMex, to regulate lithium mining.

“It is not about closing the door to investment,” Mena said in an online session of the parliament. “There needs to be regulation (…)

Quebec Solidaire wants to partially nationalize industrial mining – by Staff (Canadian Press/CTV News – November 15, 2020)

November 16, 2020

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/

QUEBEC CITY — Accusing the CAQ government of wanting to offer Quebec’s minerals to private companies as an ‘open bar,’ Quebec Solidaire proposed to partially nationalize mines of lithium and graphite, metals used to make batteries for electric vehicles.

The party drew a parallel between its proposal and the nationalization of hydropower, which allowed the province to control the resource, according to Vincent Marissal, Quebec Solidaire representative for Rosemont.

“This is the best solution for Quebec,” he said. The province is expected to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Quebec Solidaire said the province should act fast to regulate extraction of the minerals required for manufacturing.

German industry hopes to lift Bolivia’s lithium treasure – by Franz Viohl (Deutsche Welle – November 12, 2020)

November 13, 2020

https://www.dw.com/en/

The glory days of the mines in Bolivia’s Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain) region are long gone. The only ones left digging for the silver that gave the mountain its name are a few children from the nearby city of Potosi.

Situated on a cold and barren plateau at the foot of Cerro Rico, Potosi is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site and ranks as one of the world’s highest cities at an altitude of 4,050 meters (13,290 feet). In its city center you can find a number of colonial-style buildings, including a museum of local history that depicts the plight of Bolivian miners past and present.

Centuries of mining for silver, tin and copper at Cerro Rico, however, have made only others rich, the locals say. They quip that the silver extracted by the country’s former Spanish rulers alone would have been enough “to build a bridge from Bolivia to Europe.”

EV makers’ battery choices raise questions about future cobalt demand – by Henrique Ribeiro (S&P Global – November 11, 2020)

November 11, 2020

https://www.spglobal.com/

The recent resurgence in the use of cobalt-free battery formulation, especially in the Chinese battery market, has raised questions about the future of cobalt demand in the electric vehicles (EV) sector.

The use of cobalt in lithium-ion batteries has always generated concerns due to its high cost, as well as the use of child labor in “artisanal mining” at the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where 60% of the world’s cobalt is produced.

However, market participants believe cobalt will remain key in the coming EV boom – even though Tesla has announced plans to completely get rid of cobalt in the near future.

Australia tells the world it is open for business when it comes to critical minerals – by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud (Mining.com – November 8, 2020)

November 9, 2020

https://www.mining.com/

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) in collaboration with Geoscience Australia and the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources recently published the second edition of the Australian Critical Minerals Prospectus, a document aimed at highlighting the country’s position on critical materials supply.

To prepare the report, the Australian government examined lists of critical minerals published in markets such as the United States, the European Union and Japan, and matched those against Australia’s known geological endowment.

The result is a list of 24 critical minerals that are either being produced or could be produced in Australia.

Raw materials: the missing link in Europe’s drive for batteries – by Frédéric Simon (Euractiv.com – November 9, 2020)

November 9, 2020

https://www.euractiv.com/

While Europe is rapidly catching up with China on investments into batteries for electric cars, it is still lagging behind when it comes to securing supplies of the critical raw materials that are needed to produce them.

Since the launch of the “European battery alliance” in 2017, the EU has made a leap forward in its quest to develop a full battery manufacturing value chain.

Investments in the EU battery sector reached €60 billion last year, while China invested only €17 billion, EU commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told EURACTIV in a recent interview. This year, Europe has so far invested €25 billion – again twice as much as China, he noted.

Mining for metals needed for electric cars faces obstacles in Canada due to low prices – by Dan Healing (Global News – November 8, 2020)

November 9, 2020

https://globalnews.ca/

There’s opportunity for Canada to help supply the world’s growing need for “energy transition metals” used in electric vehicle and power storage batteries but it faces stiff competition from other countries, especially China, observers say.

Last month, the federal and Ontario governments announced they will each contribute $295 million to help Ford Canada produce electric vehicles in Oakville, Ont., while also vowing to help Fiat Chrysler in its plans to invest up to $1.5 billion at its Windsor, Ont., plant.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, CEO of EV manufacturer Tesla, has promised big contracts for miners around the world who increase nickel production for the batteries his vehicles are soon going to need.

Alaskan cobalt could supply EV demands – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – October 29, 2020)

October 29, 2020

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Whether it is the exponential growth in electric vehicles traveling global highways, the massive need for storing energy at solar and wind electrical generating facilities, or cutting the cords on our electronic devices, the world is becoming increasingly dependent on lithium-ion batteries.

And this is driving up the demand for cobalt, a critical safety ingredient in the cathodes of these energy storage cells.

“Globally, the leading use is in the manufacture of cathode materials for rechargeable batteries – primarily lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, and nickel-metal-hydride batteries – which are used in consumer electronics, electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, energy storage units, and power tools,” the United States Geological Survey wrote in the cobalt section of a 2018 report on critical minerals.

Election Will Decide Fate of Alaska Gold Mine, Shift to E-Cars – by Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg News – October 29, 2020)

October 29, 2020

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Oil drilling in the Arctic and the Pebble gold mine in Alaska aren’t actually on the ballot — but they might as well be.

The controversial projects are hanging in the balance of the presidential election, with Joe Biden’s vow to scuttle them. And dozens of other oil, gas and mining ventures planned across the U.S. face heightened risk of rejection or longer permitting times as the Democratic nominee focuses on promoting cleaner alternatives.

The threat extends even to some projects that already have federal permits. Lawsuits challenging government approvals create an opening for settlement agreements that result in more analysis and possibly canceled authorizations, said Height Securities LLC analyst Josh Price.

Canada Nickel CEO sees “multi-decade resource base” near Timmins – by Ian Ross – October 22, 2020)

October 26, 2020

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

New discovery, high grades at Crawford Project spur hope of a call from Elon Musk

Canada Nickel Company has made a new discovery on an already blossoming Timmins-area exploration property that’s being studied for an open-pit mine.

In talking about the Crawford Project’s open-ended potential, company chair and CEO Mark Selby said in an Oct. 22 web call to investors that they’re “just getting started” in unlocking the value of this project, and their other prospective properties, north of the city.

The Toronto junior miner released an updated mineral calculation, and its high-grade values, on Crawford’s Main Zone on Wednesday. It places the property into the world’s top 10 list of nickel sulphide projects, not including the strides they’ve made with recent discoveries to the east and west.

Clean energy, EVs and the two sides of the US election – by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud (Mining.com – October 25, 2020)

October 26, 2020

https://www.mining.com/

Market analyst Wood Mackenzie published a report laying the cards on the table as to what the future of clean energy and electric vehicles may look like following the November 3 election.

On one hand, President Donald Trump is promising to maintain the status quo somehow favouring oil, gas and coal and rejecting the idea of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Contender Joe Biden, on the other hand, promises to launch a “clean energy revolution” whose goal is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Biden campaign tells miners it supports domestic production of EV metals – by Ernest Scheyder (Regina Leader Post – October 22, 2020)

October 26, 2020

https://leaderpost.com/

Joe Biden’s campaign has privately told U.S. miners it would support boosting domestic production of metals used to make electric vehicles, solar panels and other products crucial to his climate plan, according to three sources familiar with the matter, in a boon for the mining industry.

The Obama administration enacted rigorous environmental regulations that slowed U.S. mining sector growth during its time in office. Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president and is well-regarded in conservation circles, has been expected to continue in that vein.

The U.S. Democratic presidential candidate also supports bipartisan efforts to foster a domestic supply chain for lithium, copper, rare earths, nickel and other strategic materials that the United States imports from China and other countries, the sources said.

Tesla’s move into mining aimed at energising battery supply chain – by Henry Sanderson (Financial Times – October 20, 2020)

October 21, 2020

https://www.ft.com/

When Tesla held its socially distanced “battery day” last month at an outdoor parking lot in California, it invited executives from the two big US lithium companies, Livent and Albemarle.

As they sat in their allotted Model 3s watching Elon Musk on their in-car screens, he dropped a bombshell: the electric car maker was becoming a competitor.

Tesla, Mr Musk said, had acquired the rights to a 10,000-acre plot in Nevada where it planned to extract the metal using simple table salt, and would build a lithium refinery to supply a new factory in Texas. The next day Albemarle and Livent lost a combined $1.7bn in market value as their share prices plunged.