"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.

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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