Hybrid Develop Global this month released an updated scoping study for the Pioneer Dome project in Western Australia. The study incorporates an updated mine plan which transitions the project from a large-scale open pit operation to a hybrid open pit and underground operation. Capital expenditure was estimated at A$388.1M ($260M) for a 1.2 Mtpa DMS…
Three phases Last month, Century Lithium released their FS for the Clayton Valley sediment-hosted lithium project in Nevada. The study contemplates a three-phase 13+15+13 ktpa LCE plant operating for 40 years. The study builds on 2 years of piloting work which transitioned the project from a conventional sulfuric acid leach flowsheet to a proprietary chloride…
Mutual agreement Following Albemarle’s C$106M strategic investment into Patriot Battery Metals in July 2023, an MOU was signed which set up a 9-month exclusivity period, which could have been extended. The MOU involved access to future mine production from Corvette project, which would integrate with a downstream chemical conversion facility. This month, at the completion…
Container system Last month, CATL unveiled several new products including the TENER containerized energy storage system (“ESS”), the Shenxing PLUS LFP battery and the Shenxing charging network. TENER claims to be the world’s first ESS with zero degradation for the first five years. The 6.25 MWh 20-ft container systems claim a 20% improvement on station…
10 ktpa nameplate Anson Resources has signed a binding offtake term sheet with LG Energy Solution (“LGES”) for the supply of 4 ktpa Li2CO3 for an initial 5 years (extendable by 5 years) from its Paradox oilfield brine DLE project in Utah. The facility is expected to commence production in 2027 at a nameplate capacity…
700 ktpa capacity Hunan Yuneng announced plans to invest 982 million yuan ($135.5M) into a 50 ktpa LFP production plant in Spain’s Extremadura region. The plant will take 15 months to be built, although a specific completion date was not announced. The project will be developed by its subsidiary, Yuneng International (Spain) New Energy Battery…
Eramet active Last month, Chilean state-owned company ENAMI announced a list of companies who have entered the Request for Information (“RFI”) stage for its Alto Andina project which encompasses the La Isla, Aguilar, Grande and Infieles salars of the Atacama region of Chile. The list includes several prominent companies active in both Chilean and Argentinian…
High-nickel NCMA L&F, a major supplier of cathode active materials (“CAMs”) out of South Korea, has been awarded a $6.8B contract to an undisclosed European cell producer. L&F will supply 176 kt of CAM from January 2025 through December 2030. The deal marks the first time a Korean company has entered into a CAM supply…
Flagship DLE Norway’s state oil company, Equinor, will invest up to $160M into Standard Lithium’s South West Arkansas and East Texas projects, earning up to 45% stake in both. The transaction involves three components, an initial $30M cash payment, a $60M work program (worth $33M carry to SLI) and a final $70M cash payment upon…
$72B In an April update from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (“DOE”) Loan Programs Office (“LPO”), domestic mining projects of critical minerals (such as lithium) are now eligible for loans through the $72B, Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program. Previously announced loans or loan guarantees issued from DOE’s LPO into the lithium mining sector, such…
