Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles – Page 95

Is A Lithium Cartel Inevitable? – by Robert Rapier (Forbes Magazine – January 20, 2022)

January 21, 2022

https://www.forbes.com/

The more people I speak with about lithium, the bigger this story gets. Following my previous article — How The U.S. Is Losing The Lithium Industry To China — several readers told me that this battle is already lost. And, I have to admit that the trajectory we are currently on gives little reason to believe that China’s dominance will be threatened any time soon.

In today’s article, I want to reiterate two threats to U.S. national security based on the current trajectory. Then, I want to revisit why China jumped ahead of the U.S. Finally, I want to talk about steps that are aimed at addressing this.

Serbia Drops Plans For Controversial Lithium Mine (Radio Free Europe – January 20, 2022)

January 20, 2022

https://www.rferl.org/

The Serbian government has dropped its plans to build a massive lithium mine following weeks of public protest over the $2 billion project’s environmental impact.

The Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto had been tapped to develop the mine in western Serbia in an effort to attract foreign investment and boost economic growth. The lithium mine, which was slated to be one of the world’s largest, was seen as a way to capitalize on rising global demand for the element, which is widely used in the batteries that power electronics and electric vehicles.

US needs to develop its own copper resources, says Pebble owner – by Mariaan Webb (MiningWeekly.com – January 20, 2022)

January 20, 2022

https://www.miningweekly.com/

Northern Dynasty, the owner of the contentious Pebble copper/gold mine, in south-west Alaska, says that the US must develop its own copper resources to ensure a successful energy transition to a zero-carbon economy.

Citing forecasts from major banks about a looming deficit and higher copper prices, CEO Ron Thiessen says that the “only realistic way to meet demand is to increase production”.

Ottawa looks on as China buys Canadian lithium operations – by Jeff Kucharski (Toronto Star – January 20, 2022)

January 20, 2022

https://www.thestar.com/

Given Canada’s own critical minerals list, and what we already know about China’s determination to achieve global high-tech dominance, there were clear reasons for reviewing the Neo Lithium purchase.

Efforts to strengthen Canada’s supply chains for critical minerals were undermined last week when our own government decided not to conduct a national security review into the purchase of a Canadian lithium producer by a Chinese state-owned enterprise.

The decision is bizarre. Lithium, which is on a list of 31 minerals that Ottawa says are critical to Canada’s economy, is imperative to modern manufacturing, including large-scale battery storage needed for clean energy transition and, significantly, batteries for the flourishing electric vehicle (EV) industry. Now the Zijin Mining Group Ltd is cleared to buy Toronto-based Neo Lithium Corp.

MPs want Chinese purchase of lithium-mining company reviewed – by Jeff Labine (iPolitics.ca – January 18, 2022)

January 20, 2022

https://ipolitics.ca/

Conservative and New Democrat MPs are demanding an emergency committee meeting to review the sale of a Chinese business takeover of a Canadian lithium mining company.

In October, China-based Zijin Mining Group announced plans to purchase Toronto-based Neo Lithium, which was approved by shareholders in December. The sale price was reported to be $960-million by the Globe and Mail.

How to seize Canada’s clean growth opportunity – by Don Lindsay (Financial Post – January 18, 2022)

January 18, 2022

https://financialpost.com/

The “big picture” economy can seem overwhelmingly large and complex. It’s easier to watch it unfold, letting it happen to us, rather than taking action to shape it. But that isn’t Canada’s story of Canada. Canada became a prosperous nation because people took action to make it that way: the Transcontinental railway; the St. Lawrence Seaway 75 years later; and just over 30 years ago, the establishment of the first free trade agreement with the United States.

These were nation-building moments where Canadians took control of our economic destiny. We are at a crossroads in history today that is crying out for that same leadership. The decisions we make now will be critical for laying the economic foundation for the next 30 years or more.

Biden’s green agenda requires batteries, but building them is dirty business – by Jordan Wolman (Politico.com – January 18, 2022)

January 18, 2022

https://www.politico.com/

To win the war on global warming and triumph in an economic showdown with China, President Joe Biden needs an essential weapon — lithium. But before he can count on vast U.S. reserves of the critical metal, he has to win multiple smaller fights on his home turf.

In Nevada, conservationists and Indigenous activists are camped at the site of a proposed open-pit lithium mine as the project is challenged in court. A rare wildflower has a second mine in the state at a standstill. Maine’s mining laws, some of the strictest in the nation, will make it nearly impossible to extract lithium from a large deposit there without changes by the legislature.

Nickel market caught up in fresh squeeze – by Mark Burton (Bloomberg News – January 18, 2022)

January 18, 2022

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

The nickel market is facing its biggest squeeze in more than a decade as buyers are forced to pay huge premiums for immediate supplies with exchange inventories plunging.

Cash contracts on the London Metal Exchange reached a $90-a-ton premium to those expiring a day later, the highest since 2010 and nearing levels seen in 2007 during a historic squeeze. It’s more evidence of acute supply stress in metals, following turmoil in copper and tin markets last year.

Stelco Will Recycle EV Batteries At Its Ontario Factory – by Johnna Crider (Clean Technica.com – January 16, 2022)

January 18, 2022

https://cleantechnica.com/

Stelco, a Canadian steel company, has announced plans to recycle end-of-life EV and lithium-ion batteries at its factory in Ontario. Stelco will be using proprietary technology from a joint venture of German and Australian metal companies Primobius GmbH and Neometels Ltd.

Stelco negotiated binding licenses and option agreements with the two companies. Neometelrs currentl

‘White gold’: Europe wants to to get in on lithium rush as cars go green (News 24.com – January 13, 2022)

January 14, 2022

https://www.news24.com/

Europe is seeking to expand its lithium mining and refining capacity and wean itself off imports as the “white gold” becomes a vital resource in the fight against climate change.

Alongside nickel and cobalt, lithium allows electricity to be stored and transported, making them essential in electric battery production as car manufacturers move away from polluting fossil fuels.

Conservatives call on Trudeau government to conduct formal security review on Chinese takeover of Canadian lithium firm – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – January 14, 2022)

January 14, 2022

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Conservative Party of Canada is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government to conduct a formal national security review on the pending acquisition of Canadian lithium development company Neo Lithium Corp. by Chinese state-owned Zijin Mining Group Ltd.

In October, Zijin announced its intention to buy Toronto-based Neo Lithium for $960-million. Neo Lithium is developing a mine in Argentina and hopes to eventually supply the silvery white mineral to the electric-vehicle industry for batteries.

First Lumber. Then Tin. Now the Newest Squeeze Is in Nickel (Bloomberg News – January 14, 2022)

January 14, 2022

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Nickel rallied to the highest in more than a decade as dwindling exchange inventories leave traders bracing for a historic supply squeeze.

In a sign that traders are scrambling for spot supplies, cash contracts traded at the widest premium to three-month futures since 2007 on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday.

Junior mining and exploration boom needed to push EVs over the top – by David Rosenberg and Ellen Cooper (January 12, 2022)

January 13, 2022

https://financialpost.com/

The transition to electric vehicles will require huge investments into mining for the key resources that go into batteries

Electric vehicles are quickly becoming mainstream as government subsidies, company investments and consumer demand speed up the transition away from internal combustion engines.

But with the world electrifying, will we have enough natural resources to meet this surging demand? The answer is yes, though investments in extraction and processing will need to be ramped up and there are important environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) considerations that will need to be addressed to make the shift sustainable.

Canada is playing catch-up in global frenzy for lithium, as China’s grip on critical clean energy mineral tightens – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – January 13, 2022)

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

A global move to zero-emissions electric vehicles is fuelling a once-in-a-generation boom in lithium, a critical component in EV batteries. But Canada is struggling to establish a foothold in one of the world’s most vital minerals as China’s vise grip on global supplies tightens.

Canada has already had one kick at the lithium can, and it wasn’t pretty. About five years ago, lithium prices exploded based on unrealistic anticipated EV demand. Then prices crashed to earth in 2019 and 2020.

How The U.S. Is Losing The Lithium Industry To China – by Robert Rapier (Forbes Magazine – January 11, 2022)

January 11, 2022

https://www.forbes.com/

In the early days of the oil industry, the U.S. quickly established dominance as the world’s most important producer and consumer of petroleum. But over time, depletion in the U.S. and discoveries abroad caused U.S. dominance of the petroleum industry to fade. Although the U.S. remained the world’s largest consumer of petroleum, it became increasingly dependent on foreign oil.

It became clear many years ago that U.S. dependence on other countries for petroleum was a national security issue. The issue came to a head in 1973, when various members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) initiated an oil embargo against the United States and certain U.S. allies.