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☆ Western lithium, graphite miners boost prices for ESG-friendly supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Western lithium and graphite miners have started charging the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain higher prices for their material, meeting demand for environmentally-friendly and consistent supply that is not linked to China. Lithium, the lightest metal, is used to make a battery's positively charged cathode and prized for its ability to store energy. Miners say the surcharges make investors more comfortable financing new projects, especially as Chinese rivals have been known to sell metals below prevailing market rates. Brazil's Sigma Lithium (SGML.V) has already begun selling its production at prices it says reflects its sustainability. The surcharge talk comes despite recent plunges in a range of lithium prices.

Persons: Ivan Alvarado, Patrice Boulanger, Shaun Verner, Amanda Hall, surcharges, Hugues Jacquemin, Ernest Scheyder, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Washington, China, EV, Panasonic Energy, Miners, Syrah Resources, Department of Energy, Tesla, ESG, Summit, Thomson Locations: Antofagasta region, Chile, China, Los Angeles, Brussels, Beijing, North America, United States, Louisiana, North, South America, Quebec

☆ As Exxon eyes lithium, crucial decision looms on filtration technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Choosing which DLE technology to license will be a crucial decision upon which Exxon's production of the battery metal will rely. The company has held talks with a range of DLE technology providers, including International Battery Metals (IBAT.CD) and privately held EnergySource Minerals. "We haven't chosen a (DLE) company yet. Because it not yet chosen a DLE technology, Exxon also has not yet forecast how much lithium it ultimately aims to produce. Exxon is also studying where else in the world it could produce lithium, Howarth said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Patrick Howarth, Howarth, we'll, Ernest Scheyder, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Exxon Mobil, REUTERS, Reuters, Rio Tinto, International Battery Metals, EnergySource, Exxon, Tetra Technologies, Thomson Locations: ., Arkansas, Sunresin, Rio, Los Angeles

The Biden administration is still concerned about environmental, social and governance standards in Indonesia and is examining how a deal might work, the sources said. "There's a lot of work to do before we are able to formally announce negotiations on a critical minerals partnership," the person said. Indonesia does not have a free trade agreement with the United States. The only U.S. nickel mine is set to close in a few years, and the country has no nickel smelter, a risk to Biden's goal for the United States to lead in EV manufacturing. Many U.S. miners have said that the Biden administration should focus more on approving domestic projects than seeking international supply.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Joe Biden, Aditya Pradana, Biden, Katherine Tai, EVs, Talon, Trevor Hunnicutt, Ernest Scheyder, Fransiska, Grant McCool Organizations: United, Indonesia G20 Media, White, U.S, . Trade, Talon Metals, Tesla Inc, Thomson Locations: Rai Forest, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Aditya Pradana Putra, WASHINGTON, United States, Washington, North America, China, North Dakota, Minnesota, Jakarta

☆ Exclusive: Exxon aims to begin lithium production by 2026 in Arkansas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

For Exxon and other oil companies, lithium production offers the prospect of selling a new product with relatively little added cost. OTHER ACREAGESeparate from its Tetra partnership, Exxon also controls more than 100,000 acres in Arkansas from which it plans to begin lithium production by 2027, according to the source. It was not clear whether Exxon plans to expand lithium operations outside Arkansas. Like all oil producers, Exxon extracts water containing traces of lithium as part of fossil fuel production. The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, which overseas lithium operations in the state, has said it plans to hold hearings on the matter.

Persons: Darren Woods, Mike Blake, Albemarle, Ernest Scheyder, Caroline Humer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: ExxonMobil, Milken, Global Conference, REUTERS, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Tetra Technologies, EV, Reuters, Tetra, Chevron, Battery Metals, EnergySource Minerals, Energy, Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, Benchmark Minerals, Thomson Locations: Beverly Hills , California, U.S, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Albemarle, Louisiana, Los Angeles

☆ Posco-backed group invests in lithium technology startup EnergyX
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Posco, which invests through those funds, will work with EnergyX to help its technology reach commercial production, the companies said. The companies declined to say how much of the EnergyX Series B that the consortium is funding. Reuters reported in April that the EnergyX Series B is being led by General Motors (GM.N). Allkem (AKE.AX), Livent (LTHM.N) and others produce lithium nearby. In addition to working with Posco, EnergyX is looking for Argentine brine deposits to purchase, Egan said, though he declined to be more specific.

Persons: Kim Hong, EnergyX, Jaeho Rhee, Posco's Sal, Teague Egan, Posco, Egan, China's CATL, Ernest Scheyder, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, South, Posco Holdings, EnergyX, Elohim Partners, IMM Investment, Reuters, General Motors, EnergyX's, GM, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, KS, Argentina, Oro, Argentina's Salta Province, Posco's, Posco, Chile, Bolivia, South

☆ Stellantis invests more than $100 million in California lithium project
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"This is a significant investment and goes a long way toward developing this key project," Controlled Thermal CEO Rod Colwell said in an interview. Colwell said a $65 million facility recently installed by Controlled Thermal can remove that silica and other unwanted metals. Controlled Thermal aims to obtain final permits by October and start construction of a commercial lithium plant soon thereafter, Colwell said. Controlled Thermal had separately agreed to supply lithium to General Motors (GM.N) by 2024, but that goal has been pushed to 2025, Colwell said. GM said it has a "close working relationship" with Controlled Thermal but deferred comment on technical questions to its junior partner.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Stellantis, Rod Colwell, Berkshire Hathaway, Colwell, There's, Carlos Tavares, Goldman Sachs, Ernest Scheyder, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Resources, Chrysler, Berkshire, Koch Industries, General Motors, GM, Vulcan Energy Resources, Thomson Locations: Velizy, Villacoublay, Paris, France

☆ Piedmont Lithium's plans to supply Tesla face skeptical North Carolina officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Aug 8 (Reuters) - Piedmont Lithium (PLL.O) on Tuesday drew skepticism and anger at a key meeting with local North Carolina officials about its plans for a lithium mine that would supply the electric vehicle battery metal to Tesla (TSLA.O). Piedmont said it would be open to helping its neighbors in those situations dig deeper wells or connect to municipal water supplies. Piedmont first signed a deal to supply lithium to Tesla in 2021 from North Carolina. "We've not heard from Piedmont Lithium in over two years," said Warren Snowdon, whose land shares an 8,000-foot-border with the proposed site. "So I don't know if they don't care and I don't know if they're concerned about us."

Persons: Keith Phillips, Allen Fraley, Phillips, We've, Warren Snowdon, Ernest Scheyder, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: North, Thomson Locations: North Carolina, United States, Gaston County, Charlotte, U.S, China, Piedmont, Quebec, Gaston, Australia

☆ Albemarle jumps into global race to reinvent lithium production
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A sign at the approach road leads to Albemarle's lithium evaporation ponds at its facility in Silver Peak, Nevada, U.S., January 9, 2019. Already the world's largest lithium producer, a successful move into the DLE sector would likely cement Albemarle's dominance in the fast-growing industry amid the push to electrify the global economy. DLE technologies vary, but they each aim to roughly double lithium extraction rates from brine deposits compared to traditional evaporation ponds. No DLE technology has reached commercial production without the use of those ponds, though, sparking a global race to be the first. If the tests are successful, the company could essentially bolt on DLE equipment to its bromine operations.

Persons: Ernest Scheyder, Kent Masters, Albemarle, Masters, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, General Motors, Ford, Tetra Technologies, Thomson Locations: Silver, , Nevada, U.S, Albemarle, Arkansas

REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File photoAug 2 (Reuters) - Refining rare earths for the green energy transition is hard. "The (rare earths) commissioning process is painstaking, with stops and starts," Jim Litinsky, MP's CEO and largest shareholder, told investors in May. Rare earths magnets turn power into motion and are the essential components in an electric vehicle's motor. Rare earths refining "is not really being addressed even by those who are developing magnet capacity," said Ryan Castilloux, a minerals consultant at Adamas Intelligence. American Rare Earths is working with U.S. government scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to develop bacteria that could process rare earths.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Lockheed Martin's, Lynas, Jim Litinsky, Kray Luxbacker, they've, Allan Walton, Ryan Castilloux, Castilloux, refines, Dysprosium, Tesla, Melissa Sanderson, Nathan Picarsic, Ernest Scheyder, Eric Onstad, Nick Carey, Melanie Burton, Veronica Brown, Susan Heavey Organizations: REUTERS, Lockheed, International Energy Agency, General Motors, University of, University of Birmingham, Adamas Intelligence, Trump, Reuters, Pentagon, Blue, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Edge, Sweden's, U.S, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Horizon Advisory, Thomson Locations: Pass , California, U.S, China, Apple's, Beijing, Texas, Western Australia, COVID, California, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Kuala Lumpur, United States, San Antonio , Texas, Sweden, South Africa, Karr

☆ Exclusive: Sigma Lithium CEO says in talks with potential buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bank of America has been Sigma's bank on retainer for some time and has been holding meetings for at least four months with parties that approach with interest in acquiring the lithium miner, Sigma CEO Ana Cabral-Gardner said in an interview. Cabral-Gardner said that while Bank of America is coordinating meetings with parties that approach Sigma, Sigma has not yet picked a bank to advise on any potential transaction. "We need to find someone to marry, and when we find someone to marry, then we choose a priest," Cabral-Gardner said, making an analogy between an M&A banker and a priest. Cabral-Gardner added that Sigma does not plan to sell the Brazilian mine separately from the company itself. Sigma has projected the mine will reach annual free cash flow of $455 million for its first phase of production.

Persons: Ana Cabral, Gardner, Cabral, " Cabral, Ernest Scheyder, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Sigma, Bank of America, Reuters, LG Energy, Bloomberg News, Tesla Inc, Vancouver, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Brazil, Sigma's

☆ Exclusive: Exxon Mobil expands lithium bet with Tetra Technologies deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Exxon acquired it earlier this year when it bought a neighboring Arkansas parcel of 100,000 acres from Galvanic Energy. Galvanic remains an independent, privately held company and is not affiliated with Tetra or Exxon. By partnering with Exxon, Tetra gains a large partner with capital to help it produce bromine, which is used in flame retardants, from the acreage. Exxon, meanwhile, gains access to yet another U.S. supply of lithium as the country rapidly expands its EV supply chain. Tetra had previously agreed to lease more than 27,000 acres in Arkansas to Standard Lithium (SLI.V) to produce lithium.

Persons: Tetra, Ernest Scheyder, Chris Reese Organizations: Exxon Mobil, Tetra Technologies Inc, Exxon, Energy, Tetra, Representatives, Eos Energy Enterprises, Arkansas, Reuters, Battery Metals, EnergySource Minerals, Thomson Locations: Arkansas, Tetra

☆ Lithium producers warn global supplies may not meet electric vehicle demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"You could end up in a crisis situation where the battery companies don't have the security of (lithium) feedstock," Stu Crow, chairman of Lake Resources (LKE.AX), said on the sidelines of this week's Fastmarkets Lithium and Battery Raw Materials conference in Las Vegas. This week, Lake Resources became the latest lithium company to announce a project delay, pushing back first production from its Kachi lithium project in Argentina by three years. Albemarle (ALB.N), the world's largest lithium producer, is growing rapidly across the Americas, Asia and Australia. Still, it expects global lithium demand to exceed supply by 500,000 metric tons in 2030. ATTENDANCEOnce a niche event attended by industry die-hards, the Fastmarkets conference has grown rapidly alongside breakneck lithium demand.

Persons: Stu Crow, Eric Norris, Sarah Maryssael, Allkem, Goldman Sachs, Rahim Bapoo, Tara Berrie, Ernest Scheyder, David Gregorio Our Organizations: LAS VEGAS, Ford, Lake Resources, Raw Materials, Exxon Mobil, Banking, JPMorgan, BMO Capital Markets, Mitsui, hasn't, Rivian, Thomson Locations: Stellantis, Las Vegas, Argentina, Americas, Asia, Australia

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