Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles – Page 54

Canada joins critical minerals alliance to avoid reliance on ‘authoritarian states’ – by John Woodside (National Observer – December 10, 2022)

December 15, 2022

https://www.nationalobserver.com/

As concerns about China’s dominant economic position in industry mount, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is unveiling a new international alliance aimed at securing the critical minerals needed to transition off fossil fuels.

Wilkinson announced the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance Monday at the United Nations biodiversity conference underway in Montreal, days after Canada published its critical minerals strategy to grow the sector domestically. The new alliance includes Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and Japan.

Tesla’s lithium supplies in danger as rivals make mining deals – by David Stringer, Yvonne Yue Li, Gabrielle Coppola & Chunying Zhang (The Edge Markets/Bloomberg News – November 30, 2022)

December 15, 2022

https://apps.theedgemarkets.com/

(Nov 29): For years, only one customer mattered in the market for lithium and other metals used in electric vehicle batteries: Tesla Inc. The prospect that a new mine might end up feeding Elon Musk’s automaker was enough to sway cautious lenders to finance a project or convince investors that untested operations had a shot at meeting aggressive sales projections.

And as the biggest buyer in a sector full of startup miners, Tesla wielded unusual power to dictate terms, typically locking in agreements for supplies for years at fixed prices.

Rio Tinto hunts for lithium deals, eyes Jadar revival – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – December 13, 2022)

December 15, 2022

https://www.mining.com/

Rio Tinto (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO) said on Tuesday is actively searching for lithium assets as its expects prices for the metal used in the making of batteries that power electric vehicles to remain high for a “long period of time”.

The company had to shelve its proposed $2.4 billion Jadar lithium mine in Serbia early this year after the government revoked the project’s licences. In a presentation posted on its website, Rio confirmed it has not scrapped Jadar completely as it still considers the project as part of its portfolio and said it intends to de-risk the development process.

US ‘Battery Belt’ Widens With $3.5 Billion Redwood Materials Plant – by Tom Randall (Bloomberg News – December 14, 2022)

December 15, 2022

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — With demand for electric cars soaring, America desperately needs a new battery supply chain.

It appears to be coming. Redwood Materials Inc., started by Tesla co-founder J.B. Straubel, said Wednesday that it will spend $3.5 billion to develop a 600-acre site in Charleston, South Carolina, to manufacture enough critical battery components to build more than a million electric vehicles a year. It’s the second announcement of that size in less than a month, following LG Chem’s plans for a materials plant in Tennessee.

Yukonomist: The past, present and future of mining and the Yukon economy – Part 2 – by Keith Halliday (Yukon News – December 11, 2022)

December 12, 2022

https://www.yukon-news.com/

Last week, Part 1 of this column looked at the past and present of Yukon mining as well as two game changers that could be powerful tailwinds for the Yukon’s biggest private-sector industry: geopolitics and climate change.

Allies from Berlin to Washington are clamouring for secure supplies of critical minerals from locations that are secure, stable and blessed with high environmental and social standards such as the Yukon.

BHP invests in Gates and Friedland-backed firm I-Rox – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – December 12, 2022)

December 12, 2022

https://www.mining.com/

BHP (ASX: BHP) has joined billionaire Robert Friedland’s I-Pulse Inc. and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a clean-tech venture backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, to speed up technologies that can help the mining sector save on energy.

I-Pulse and Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV)-Europe launched earlier this year a company called I-Rox, a France-based firm focused on demonstrating a pulsed-power technology said to reduce the amount of energy needed to crush rocks.

Rush to electric vehicles may be an expensive mistake, say climate strategists – by Don Pittis (CBC News – December 12, 2022)

December 12, 2022

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/

Move to replace fossil fuel fleet with EVs is essential, but there are things to do first

With their futuristic designs and new technology, electric vehicles are the seductive consumer-friendly face of the energy transition.

As first incarnated by Tesla, the EV is increasingly seen as sleeker, slicker, faster and more stylish than traditional internal combustion engine cars and trucks that burn those dirty fossil fuels blamed for disrupting weather patterns and killing off species.

Sudbury can help Ottawa’s critical mineral strategy, officials say – by Mia Jensen (Sudbury Star – December 10, 2022)

December 12, 2022

https://www.thesudburystar.com

Canada is home to 31 minerals that the government considers critical, including nickel

As the federal government prioritizes critical mineral extraction, local officials are emphasizing the need to take advantage of the opportunities available in Sudbury.

“Mining has always been one of Canada’s economic cornerstones,” said Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe. “Today, this sector matters more than ever. There is a growing global appreciation that a cleaner, net-zero global economy cannot be achieved without mineral extraction, specifically, critical minerals, the building blocks for the future.”

Ottawa vows to cut mining red tape as Canada risks falling behind in global critical minerals race – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – December 10, 2022)

December 12, 2022

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Ottawa is vowing to cut red tape in the mining sector in an attempt to move large resource projects along faster, after facing intense criticism that Canada risks being left behind in the global scramble to secure critical minerals.

In the federal government’s long-awaited critical minerals strategy, unveiled on Friday, Ottawa acknowledged that getting a Canadian mine for the minerals into production can take up to 25 years. That is far slower than other international mining jurisdictions that Canada competes against, such as Australia, in which projects are developed in a fraction of that time.

Critical Minerals Strategy focuses on faster timelines, building remote infrastructure – by Blair McBride (Northern Miner – December 9, 2022)

December 12, 2022

https://www.northernminer.com/

The federal government on Friday unveiled the details of its Critical Minerals Strategy, a plan first introduced in its April budget that earmarks almost $3.8 billion over eight years to further develop Canada’s place in the global critical minerals industry.

A significant portion of the total funding — $1.5 billion — is allocated over seven years for constructing infrastructure for critical minerals projects in remote areas, such as the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario. And $40 million is set aside to support northern regulatory processes in reviewing and permitting projects.

Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire Will Save Province’s Auto Sector – Stan Sudol (December 07, 2022)

December 9, 2022December 8, 2022

The isolated, nickel-rich Ring of Fire, located 550 kms northeast of Thunder Bay, is the centre-piece of Ontario’s Critical Mineral Strategy. Discovered in 2007, this developing mining camp is going to save southern Ontario’s auto sector.

Automobiles and associated parts are Ontario’s largest exports and second largest nationally, after the oil sector. Over the past century, hundreds of thousands of middle-class jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in manufacturing activity have established the province as Canada’s economic powerhouse.

The move from gas powered engines to electric vehicles – one of the largest industrial transitions in North American history – must occur in record time if we are going to arrest climate change. However, this conversion cannot happen without an enormous increase in nickel, copper, lithium and other critical minerals that are used in the manufacturing of electric vehicles.

Canada ‘watching closely’ as Biden pressed to fix Inflation Reduction Act ‘glitches’ – by James McCarten (Canadian Press/Moose Jaw Today – December 5, 2022)

December 8, 2022

https://www.moosejawtoday.com/

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Canada will be “watching closely” as the United States responds to complaints from Europe about the North American protectionism built into President Joe Biden’s signature climate change initiative.

Biden received an earful from French President Emmanuel Macron about “super aggressive” climate incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act — incentives that favour manufacturers in Canada and Mexico, as well as the U.S.

Canada promises to toughen up scrutiny of foreign investment, citing national security fears – by Steve Chase and Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – December 8, 2022)

December 8, 2022

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Canadian government is proposing to toughen scrutiny of foreign takeovers, citing national security concerns, just weeks after its new Indo-Pacific policy identified China as an “increasingly disruptive” power.

“The world has vastly changed in the last few years,” Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said as he unveiled a package of changes to the Investment Canada Act that he said represented the most significant update in more than a decade. “That’s why we must be prepared to face the challenges that could endanger our economic security and national security.”

‘They see stability and calm here’: Canada looks like a good place to invest to some EV producers – by Gabriel Friedman (Sudbury Star – December 5, 2022)

December 8, 2022

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Canada offers ‘stability, predictability and the rule of law,’ says Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne

The electric vehicle transition in North America kicked off nearly a decade ago with Tesla Inc. chief executive Elon Musk moving at breakneck speed, but now it’s shifting to a different phase: the slow and boring chapter in which automakers take months — or years even — to decide where to build their EV operations.

That may be a good thing for Canada as it seeks to grow its auto sector. “It’s clear that energy security, food security and supply chain resiliency is top of mind to leaders around the world,” Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said at a press conference on Dec. 5 in Germany, where he was meeting with Volkswagen AG and other automakers. “Canada is in many respects the answer.”

Vale to break out base metals business, sell stake in 2023 – by Mariana Durao and Joe Deaux (Bloomberg News – December 2022)

December 8, 2022

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

After several years of deliberations, iron ore giant Vale SA is finally laying out a path for unlocking value from its nickel and copper business as demand for the so-called battery metals picks up.

The Rio de Janeiro-based firm will separate the base metal assets from its iron ore operations and unveil a strategic partner in the first half of next year, Chief Executive Officer Eduardo Bartolomeo and Chief Financial Officer Gustavo Pimenta said in an interview. An initial public offering is off the table for now.