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☆ Lithium giant Albemarle’s plans to reopen a rich mine in North Carolina will take years to complete
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Albemarle 's plans to reopen a resource rich lithium mine in North Carolina will take longer than originally expected as a collapse in lithium prices weighs on the company. Albemarle, a top lithium producer, had originally planned to reopen the Kings Mountain mine as early as late 2026 to increase domestic lithium production and support a U.S. electric vehicle battery supply chain. Kings Mountain could produce enough material to manufacture 1.2 million electric vehicles annually. There is currently only one operational lithium mine in the U.S. in Silver Peak, Nevada, which is owned by Albemarle. Albemarle does not have a precise date for when Kings Mountain will become operational, Norris said.

Persons: Albemarle, Eric Norris, It's, we've, Norris Organizations: CNBC, Kings Locations: North Carolina, Albemarle, U.S, Silver, , Nevada, Albemarle . Albemarle

UBS lowered its rating on Albemarle to neutral from buy, slashing its price target by more than 40%. Analyst Matthew Hedberg initiated coverage of the data stock at an outperform rating with a $22 target price for shares. Hedberg's price target implies shares could climb 23.9% over the next year from Friday's close. In addition to the downgrade, analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich slashed her price target on the stock to $9 from $32. Analyst Joshua Spector downgraded the stock to neutral from buy and slashed his price target to $140 from $253.

Persons: Ferrari, Matthew Hedberg, Hedberg, Alex Harring, Jason Bazinet, Bazinet, — Alex Harring, Jefferies, Brent Thill, Thill, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Reif, Vivek Arya, Arya, Nicholas Campanella, Campanella, " Campanella, Banks, Goldman Sachs, Citi's Paul Lejuez, Baird, Mark Altschwager, Morgan Stanley, Edouard Aubin, Aubin, there's, Henning Cosman, Cosman, Joshua Spector, Spector Organizations: CNBC, UBS, Barclays, Bank of America, Nvidia, RBC, RBC Capital Markets, Citi, Disney, Jefferies, Paramount, Paramount Global, Dominion Energy, Dominion, Wall, JPMorgan, Ferrari, U.S, UBS downgrades Locations: Albemarle, Friday's, China, Birkenstock

☆ Tesla warns Core Lithium of potential lawsuit over failed deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of car manufacturer Tesla is seen at a branch office in Bern, Switzerland October 28, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - Core Lithium (CXO.AX) has received a notice from electric-vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA.O) over a 2022 supply agreement that failed to materialize within the set deadline, the Australian miner said. The two companies failed to reach a deal by Oct. 26, 2022, as decided earlier, and now Tesla would take "all available legal remedies" unless the parties mutually resolve the matter, Core lithium said in a presentation on Wednesday. Tesla and Core Lithium did not respond to Reuters' requests for comments. The lithium producer was negotiating with Tesla to supply 110,000 tonnes of spodumene from its Finniss project in Australia's Northern Territory.

Persons: Arnd, Tesla, Elon, Sourasis Bose, Shinjini Organizations: REUTERS, Tesla, General Motors, Ford, Australia's Liontown, Thomson Locations: Bern, Switzerland, Northern Territory, Bengaluru

☆ Europe Is Embarking on a Mining Renaissance. Winning Over Locals Is Proving a Challenge.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +12 min

“It’s definitely a [mining] renaissance,” said Rebecca Campbell, global mining and metals lead at law firm White & Case. “We’re trying to foster a permitting landscape that is both efficient and responsible.”In Europe, the mining renaissance comes after years of nearly no new mining activity on the continent. Left: A layer of spodumene within the host rock that Savannah Resources intends to mine. Savannah Resources, which has set up two offices in the municipality, has said it would strictly avoid that and instead build reservoirs to store rain water. That view is echoed by Savannah Resources.

Persons: COVAS, Portugal —, Barroso, BEL, mina ”, ”, Nelson Gomes, Covas, Alex Gorman, “, Nelson, YUSUF KHAN, “ It’s, Rebecca Campbell, ” “, Jayni Hein, Hein, “ We’re, Peel Hunt’s Gorman, Dale Ferguson, Gomes, Jessica Polfjärd, Polfjärd, Ana Fontoura Gouveia, Fontoura, ” Fontoura, Yusuf Khan Organizations: COVAS DO BARROSO, Associação, Peel, Vulcan Energy Resources, Adriatic Metals, White, Covington, Burling, Environmental, Council, Savannah Resources, Sustainable Business, Sweden’s Moderate Party, Serra Locations: Portugal, Porto, Boticas, Covas, It’s, Europe, Germany, Sweden, Bosnia, Finland, Greece, U.S, Savannah, London, spodumene, Serbia, China, yusuf.khan

☆ Albemarle to take 5% stake in Patriot Battery Minerals for Canada lithium
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Albemarle, the world's biggest lithium producer, is acquiring the stake in Patriot just as the Canadian company estimated its Corvette resource as the biggest hardrock lithium deposit in the Americas. Patriot also agreed to study with Albemarle the viability of a downstream lithium hydroxide plant integrated with its Corvette deposit. The battery metals miner on Monday announced the first mineral resource estimate for spodumene pegmatite at Corvette, which showed deposits of 109.2 million tonnes of lithium oxide. Albemarle will subscribe to about 7.1 million Patriot shares for C$15.29 apiece, a near 7% premium to the stock's July 31 closing price on the TSX Venture Exchange. Patriot's Australia-listed shares jumped as much as 20.7% to A$1.823 by 0053 GMT, posting their biggest intraday percentage gain since March 28.

Persons: pegmatite, Reg Spencer, Blair Way, Echha Jain, Melanie Burton, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: Battery Metals, Albemarle, Canadian, Monday, TSX Venture Exchange, Patriot, Patriot's, Thomson Locations: Australia, Canada, Albemarle, Americas, Genuity, Patriot's Australia, Bengaluru, Melbourne

☆ Lithium miner Premier's shares slide on Zimbabwe force majeure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HARARE, June 26 (Reuters) - Shares in Premier African Minerals (PREM.L) plunged 40% on Monday after the company declared force majeure at its Zimbabwe lithium mine, citing a defect at its processing plant. Premier said it issued a force majeure notice to Canmax on June 25 because milling problems at its recently completed plant had affected production plans. "The company is unable to deliver product within the stipulated dates as set out in the agreement," Premier said. Triggering a force majeure clause in contracts allows certain terms of an otherwise legally binding agreement to be ignored because of unavoidable circumstances. However, in the context of the current stage of discussions with Canmax in respect of the amended agreement, Premier will now engage with these other interested parties," it said.

Persons: majeure, Canmax, Nelson Banya, David Goodman Organizations: African Minerals, China's, Premier, Canmax, Thomson Locations: HARARE, Zimbabwe, Canmax, China, Europe

☆ Analysis-In China's lithium hub, mining boom comes at a cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Siyi Liu | Dominique Patton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

FILE PHOTO: A vehicle is seen near a lithium smelter in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China March 30, 2023. It has supported mine development by taking stakes in mining companies to help battery materials makers that do not have mines overseas like those owned by China’s top lithium producers Ganfeng Lithium and Tianqi Lithium. Separating lithium from lepidolite can cost as much as 100,000 yuan per metric ton, compared to 40,000-50,000 yuan for brine and 50,000-60,000 yuan for spodumene, analysts said. ‘NATURAL RESOURCES CHAOS’Further dimming the outlook for lepidolite, environmental damage is a growing concern. UBS analysts see China’s supply of lithium from lepidolite tripling to 280,000 metric tons, or 13% of global supply, between 2022 and 2025, well short of Yichun’s target.

Persons: ”, Yang Yaohua, Yang, Wu Wei, Eric Norris, ” Norris, Yongxing, Yichun, Ma Jun, ” Ma, Vicky Zhao, Li Qi Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Australia, Guosen, Macquarie, Gotion High Tech, CRU, Xiamen University, Energy, lepidolite, Reuters, Materials Technology, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, UBS, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Locations: YICHUN, China, Yichun, Jiangxi province, lepidolite, Beijing, Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet, Shanghai, Jin, U.S, Jiangxi

It has supported mine development by taking stakes in mining companies to help battery materials makers that do not have mines overseas like those owned by China's top lithium producers Ganfeng Lithium (002460.SZ), (002460.SZ) and Tianqi Lithium (002466.SZ). Separating lithium from lepidolite can cost as much as 100,000 yuan per metric ton, compared to 40,000-50,000 yuan for brine and 50,000-60,000 yuan for spodumene, analysts said. 'NATURAL RESOURCES CHAOS'Further dimming the outlook for lepidolite, environmental damage is a growing concern. As it gets stricter now, lithium resources in Yichun will lose their competitiveness with the higher costs for environmental protection," Ma said. UBS analysts see China's supply of lithium from lepidolite tripling to 280,000 metric tons, or 13% of global supply, between 2022 and 2025, well short of Yichun's target.

Persons: YICHUN, Yang Yaohua, Yang, Wu Wei, Eric Norris, Norris, Yongxing, Yichun, Ma Jun, Ma, Vicky Zhao, Li Qi, Siyi Liu, Dominique Patton, Ernest Scheyder, Tony Munroe, Sonali Paul Organizations: Australia, Guosen, Macquarie, Gotion High Tech, CRU, Xiamen University, Energy, Corp, Reuters, Materials Technology, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, UBS, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Beijing Newsroom, Thomson Locations: China, Yichun, lepidolite, Beijing, Sichuan, Qinghai, Tibet, Shanghai, Jin, U.S, Jiangxi, Houston

A super-charged two-year rally, which saw Chinese spot lithium carbonate prices rise by tenfold, went into brutal reverse over the first part of this year. The slump in China's spot price dragged down the whole lithium pricing chain from spodumene concentrate to hydroxide, albeit to highly varying degrees. But lithium's roller-coaster ride highlights the important role China's spot market and the Wuxi futures exchange play in the fast-growing industry's price discovery process. Many lithium buyers, in other words, will be paying higher prices this year whatever happens in the Chinese spot market. The collapse in China's spot price has far exceeded the decline in the price of Australian spodumene, another closely tracked market indicator.

☆ UBS sees a big gain for this chemical stock as lithium prices in China stabilize
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's time to buy shares of Albemarle as lithium prices in China stabilize, according to UBS. "We see the current inflection in China lithium pricing and 2023 earnings reset leading to increasingly positive sentiment on the stock. Inflection of lithium prices and battery production in China is setting a much higher floor vs prior cycles," analyst Joshua Spector wrote. Now that lithium prices are finding a floor, Albemarle will be able to grow volumes as well as EBITDA, UBS said. Risks may also already be priced in to Albemarle stock, Spector added, specifically the expectation of lithium prices remaining at roughly $20 per kilogram.

Musk said Tesla aimed to finish construction of the factory next year and then reach full production about a year later. We need lithium," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at the ceremony. Musk has urged entrepreneurs to enter the lithium refining business, saying it is like "minting money." The refinery is the latest expansion by Tesla into Texas after the company moved its headquarters there from California in 2021. "We are proud that he calls Texas home," Abbott said, saying Tesla and Musk are "Texas's economic juggernauts."

☆ Factbox: World's biggest lithium producers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Carman Chew | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chile holds the world's largest lithium reserves and is the world's second-largest producer. Australia is the world's biggest supplier, with production from hard rock mines. Rapid growth is forecast to be met by output gains in Australia, Chile and Argentina. WORLD'S BIGGEST MINESGreenbushes, Western Australia, by Talison Lithium (a joint venture of Tianqi Lithium (002466.SZ), IGO (IGO.AX) and Albemarle Corp (ALB.N)). Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes lithium salt lake, Argentina, bought by Ganfeng Lithium (002460.SZ), will produce 30,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate starting 2024, and can potentially be expanded to 50,000 tonnes.

☆ Ex-Tesla director who pleaded guilty to insider trading will be released on the condition of 'good behavior'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kurt Schlosser pleaded guilty to profiting over $28,883 off knowledge of Tesla's deal with a mining company. He'll be released on the condition of "good behavior," but can't manage a company for five years. Spokespeople for Tesla and Piedmont Lithium did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication. Tesla first announced a five-year agreement with Piedmont Lithium in 2020 on the heels of the electric-car maker's "Battery Day." At the time of the announcement, shares of the mining company surged as much as 83% to their highest level since 2007.

☆ Former director of Tesla Australia sentenced for insider trading
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 21 (Reuters) - A former director of Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) Australian unit was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment and will be released immediately on the condition of "good behaviour", Australia's corporate watchdog said on Tuesday. The sentence follows the former director's guilty pleas to two insider trading offences tied to a supply deal the electric-car maker signed with Piedmont Lithium Inc (PLL.O) in 2020, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Schlosser sold the shares for a realised profit of $28,883.53 after the agreement became public, according to the watchdog. The regulator added that Schlosser communicated information to a friend "in circumstances where it was likely" that the person would acquire Piedmont shares. Tesla and Piedmont Lithium did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comments.

☆ Piedmont Lithium shares rebound after tumbling on short-seller report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In 2021, Piedmont invested $100 million in Atlantic Lithium (A11.AX) to secure spodumene - high-purity lithium ore - from Atlantic's mine in Ghana. Piedmont has a spodumene supply agreement with electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O). Shares of Piedmont were last up 3.2% after falling as much as 6.6% on the report. Blue Orca alleged that Atlantic obtained key Ghana mining licenses by making secret payments and promises of payments to the immediate family of a high-level politician in Ghana. Piedmont and Atlantic Lithium did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

Rystad Energy sees the global market deficit of lithium shrinking to around 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) this year, from 76,000 tonnes LCE in 2022. Out to 2025 it expects lithium supply to grow on average by 34% a year against an annual demand growth rate of 25%. MINERS UNFAZEDThe decline in lithium prices in China, the world's biggest consumer, has hit lithium producers overseas. LITHIUM CARBONATE SINKSThe price decline has been sharp. "A lithium carbonate price of 200,000-300,000 yuan per tonne is where both upstream and downstream will feel comfortable," said Rystad's Zou.

☆ Lithium Industry Looks to Australia for Refining, Not Just Mining
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese companies refine it into lithium sulfate and then process it into the lithium hydroxide used to make cathodes for batteries. China plays an outsize role in battery production, accounting for 44% of all lithium refining globally and 70% of battery cell production, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Some companies also are building European facilities for the next stage of the process: refining lithium sulfate into lithium hydroxide. Lithium mining projects in Germany and Portugal have emerged, although the permitting process can be complex, particularly if there is local opposition. In the meantime, new processing facilities can be built in three to five years, creating more opportunities for lithium mining companies.

☆ LG Chem Buys Stake in North Carolina Lithium Miner
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

South Korea’s LG Chem will take a stake in Piedmont Lithium Inc., boosting its North American presence and banking on incentives to scale up its role in U.S. electric-vehicle supply chain. LG Chem will commit $75 million to Piedmont in return for a 5.7% stake in the miner, whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq and Australian Securities Exchange. PREVIEWThe U.S. is our key market and by preemptively securing raw materials this deal allows LG Chem to provide North American customers with products that satisfy IRA standards, said Mr. Hak-Cheol Shin, Vice Chairman and CEO of LG Chem in a statement. LG Chem is planning to build a $3 billion cathode plant in Clarksville, Tenn., slated to open in 2027. Already, Piedmont has an existing contract to supply Tesla with 50,000 tons annually until 2025, in addition to its new LG Chem supply deal.

☆ Lithium miner Sigma jumps on report Tesla considering buyout
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 17 (Reuters) - U.S.-listed shares of Sigma Lithium Corp rose 21% in extended trading on Friday after Bloomberg News reported that Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) was weighing a takeover of the Canada-based battery metals miner. Tesla and Sigma Lithium did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. U.S. stock of Sigma Lithium, which has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, nearly trebled in value last year. Tesla and other automakers routinely talk to mining companies of all sizes about potential supplies of lithium and other EV metals without necessarily signing contracts. Tesla also has supply contracts for nickel, lithium and a range of other EV metals from suppliers across the globe.

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Albemarle Corp (ALB.N) on Tuesday called for lithium prices to remain high indefinitely in order to help the mining industry develop new sources of the electric vehicle (EV) battery metal and fuel the green energy transition. Lithium prices have more than doubled in the past year and are up nearly ninefold in the past three years, according to an index tracked by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. For 2023, Albemarle expects the price it receives for its lithium to jump 40% over 2022 levels. That should dip this year, due to rising costs for lithium chloride and spodumene ore - both key feedstocks - though the company expects lithium margins to eventually stabilize around 45%. Norris, a longtime lithium industry executive, repeatedly stressed during a nearly two-hour presentation that Albemarle will produce lithium when its customers need the metal.

☆ Zimbabwe bans raw lithium exports to curb artisanal mining
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The southern African country holds some of the world's largest reserves of hard rock lithium, a vital mineral in the production of clean energy technologies. London-listed Premier African Minerals (PREM.L) says it will start shipping spodumene concentrate from its Zimbabwe lithium mine to China from March 2023, after signing an offtake deal with Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology Co (300390.SZ). "No lithium bearing ores, or unbeneficiated lithium whatsoever, shall be exported from Zimbabwe to another country," read the regulation published in a government notice issued by Mines Minister Winston Chitando. The notice said the ban does not apply to the export of lithium concentrates, which all the major lithium miners in the country plan to produce. Mnangagwa said the raw lithium was being exported through neighbouring countries.

From spodumene ore through lithium carbonate to lithium hydroxide, prices have more than doubled again this year after an explosive rally in 2021. Even Goldman Sachs, which outraged lithium bulls with a bearish market call in May, now thinks global supply will fall 84,000 tonnes short of demand this year. New EVs rolling off the automotive production line are the end of the lithium supply chain, but the chain itself is also expanding fast. All of them need raw materials, so their collective stock-building accentuates the rising EV demand curve. Moreover, much of lithium's supply growth is coming from new sources such as China's lepidolite deposits which come with their own new disruption potential.

☆ Ex-Tesla Australia director pleads guilty to insider trading
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - A former director of Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) Australian unit pleaded guilty to two counts of insider trading based on a supply deal the carmaker signed with Piedmont Lithium (PLL.O) in 2020, the country's corporate watchdog said on Wednesday. The ASIC said Schlosser then sold his Piedmont shares for a profit of roughly $28,883 once the agreement became public and the stock price rose. Schlosser, who plead guilty at a court in Sydney, also communicated information about the deal to a friend, knowing that his friend would be likely to acquire Piedmont shares, the ASIC said. Tesla and Piedmont Lithium did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Tejaswi Marthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Albemarle's lithium sales surge amid rapid EV market growth
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The results and forecast reflected a bullish outlook for the electric vehicle industry despite recent macroeconomic concerns and warnings of market softness from some rivals. Lithium sales more than quadrupled to $1.5 billion on higher prices and the opening of new processing plants. The company trimmed its 2022 sales forecast at the high end to $7.4 billion from $7.5 billion due to the weak bromine sales. Albemarle received a $149.7 million grant from U.S. officials last month to build a lithium processing facility in North Carolina. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Albemarle plans to hold a Thursday conference call with investors to discuss the quarterly results.

☆ Inside the only lithium producer in the U.S., which provides critical mineral used in batteries by Tesla, EV makers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The town's mining roots are still on display, but the action has shifted to the country's largest lithium brine operation 45 minutes away. Specialty chemicals company Albemarle acquired the site in 2015 from Foot Mineral Company, and has owned it ever since. Under the International Energy Agency's most ambitious climate scenario, lithium supply will have to grow 40-fold by 2040 from today's levels. The U.S. used to be a leader in lithium production, but it's since ceded that position to foreign nations, including China. Albemarle's Silver Peak lithium plant spans 13,000 acres.

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