Mining project support from U.S. Department of Energy’s Loans Program Office
$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 as Lithium America’s Thacker Pass or Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge project, were issued under the $55B Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (“ATVM”) Loan Program.
L'avis d'Adamas :
The update provides much needed debt funding support for the capital strained mining sector, particularly when considering the exceptionally high capital intensities of lithium projects in the U.S. which often require application of emerging technologies, such as direct lithium extraction.
However, it is questionable how much funding will be directed into the lithium mining sector as a result of the update.
Although the Title 17 program offers access to a larger pool of funds, it has a much more diverse mandate across the clean energy landscape when compared to the targeted, auto-focused ATVM program.
Previous ATVM loans into the sector have taken up to 2 years, therefore it is unlikely we will see the effect of this news until 2026.
[Extrait du numéro de mai de la service EV Battery Lithium Monthly .]
Chris Williams, analyste chez Adamas Intelligence
Chris est analyste chez Adamas Intelligence, où il se consacre au secteur mondial du lithium. Il mène des recherches et analyse la chaîne de valeur du lithium afin d'identifier des opportunités concrètes pour les clients.
Chris possède 11 ans d'expérience dans l'optimisation des opérations minières et pétrolières et gazières, où il a su créer de la valeur grâce à l'analyse de données à grande échelle. Il a obtenu une licence et un master en ingénierie à l'université du Queensland, avec une spécialisation en génie mécanique, et termine actuellement un master en administration des affaires à l'université de Colombie-Britannique.
