Eye on Lithium: In 2006, batteries accounted for 26pc of lithium demand. By 2026 it will be 90pc

China could account for a third of the world’s supply of lithium by the middle of the decade, UBS says
Volkswagen chooses Canada as the location for its first overseas gigafactory
An Aboriginal heritage clearance has been granted and a program of works approved at Argonauts Higginsville project

All your lithium news, Tuesday March 14.

As the main component of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and stationary battery systems, lithium is considered the backbone of most green energy technologies.

Until the next technological advances are achieved, the light metal will be the driving force behind the ‘battery era’ over the next decade.

According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), the battery industry is set to extend its dominance of the lithium market to such a point that by 2026 it will account for 90% of demand.

In a matter of twenty years, the astronomical growth in electric vehicle adoption has seen the battery industry grow from a relatively small consumer to become the markets primary driver.

And the race to secure supplies is far from over yet.

UBS says China’s efforts to increase uptake could see it account for nearly a third of the world’s supply by the middle of the decade.

The bank expects Chinese-controlled mines, including projects in Africa, to raise output to 705,000t by 2025, from 194,000t in 2022.

That would lift China’s share of the mineral critical to electric-vehicle batteries to 32% of global supply, from 24% last year, according to a note on Friday.

This upswing in Chinese output will be due to an increase in material derived from lepidolite, which UBS sees accounting for 280,000t of lithium in China in 2025 – or 13% of global supply.

Volkswagen selects Canada as location for first overseas gigafactory

Moving across to the US, Volkswagen Group has chosen Canada as the location for its first overseas gigafactory of its battery company, PowerCo.

The factory, which will produce sustainable unified cells from 2027, represents the third group-owned plant worldwide after Salzgitter, Germany and Valencia, Spain.

⚡🔋⚡ BIG #BATTERY NEWS: We will build a new plant in #Canada! 🇨🇦 Our first overseas gigafactory will come to St. Thomas #Ontario. PowerCo is on track to become a global battery player! 💪🤠 #NEWAUTO pic.twitter.com/uxcCFiiBES

— Volkswagen Group (@VWGroup) March 13, 2023

Here’s how ASX lithium stocks are tracking:

CODE	COMPANY	PRICE	% TODAY	MARKET CAP
EMC	Everest Metals Corp	0.085	13%	$7,982,483
LSR	Lodestar Minerals	0.005	11%	$7,822,968
VKA	Viking Mines Ltd	0.01	11%	$9,227,326
XTC	Xantippe Res Ltd	0.0055	10%	$52,900,498
MTM	Mtmongerresources	0.105	7%	$6,934,504
CAI	Calidus Resources	0.24	7%	$98,898,939
GW1	Greenwing Resources	0.24	7%	$33,358,245
FG1	Flynngold	0.083	5%	$8,127,009
AML	Aeon Metals Ltd.	0.022	5%	$23,024,413
AZI	Altamin Limited	0.069	5%	$25,853,306
NWM	Norwest Minerals	0.033	3%	$7,107,436
LNR	Lanthanein Resources	0.0165	3%	$17,945,209
PLL	Piedmont Lithium Inc	0.84	1%	$359,206,570
AS2	Askarimetalslimited	0.51	1%	$24,996,252
ASN	Anson Resources Ltd	0.21	0%	$255,959,988
AVZ	AVZ Minerals Ltd	0.78	0%	$2,752,409,203
EUR	European Lithium Ltd	0.069	0%	$102,757,503
INF	Infinity Lithium	0.105	0%	$48,572,170
MLS	Metals Australia	0.041	0%	$24,888,484
RLC	Reedy Lagoon Corp.	0.008	0%	$4,533,757
TON	Triton Min Ltd	0.029	0%	$40,100,741
ARN	Aldoro Resources	0.23	0%	$25,969,833
AAJ	Aruma Resources Ltd	0.057	0%	$8,946,806
PAM	Pan Asia Metals	0.34	0%	$52,735,901
AM7	Arcadia Minerals	0.215	0%	$10,040,047
DTM	Dart Mining NL	0.043	0%	$6,691,684
EMS	Eastern Metals	0.062	0%	$2,421,994
IMI	Infinitymining	0.185	0%	$14,148,489
RAG	Ragnar Metals Ltd	0.015	0%	$5,687,773
CTN	Catalina Resources	0.0055	0%	$6,811,678
WML	Woomera Mining Ltd	0.012	0%	$11,473,935
KGD	Kula Gold Limited	0.018	0%	$6,501,815
ENT	Enterprise Metals	0.008	0%	$5,640,646
STM	Sunstone Metals Ltd	0.03	0%	$78,613,393
PGD	Peregrine Gold	0.42	0%	$16,285,033
AVW	Avira Resources Ltd	0.003	0%	$6,401,370
MQR	Marquee Resource Ltd	0.024	0%	$7,852,980
SRZ	Stellar Resources	0.011	0%	$11,050,940
AOA	Ausmon Resorces	0.005	0%	$4,846,447
IPT	Impact Minerals	0.009	0%	$22,332,335
SRI	Sipa Resources Ltd	0.025	0%	$5,703,953
VMC	Venus Metals Cor Ltd	0.15	0%	$26,711,802
G88	Golden Mile Res Ltd	0.018	0%	$3,682,616
EVR	Ev Resources Ltd	0.015	0%	$14,039,761
WC8	Wildcat Resources	0.028	0%	$18,536,636
CZL	Cons Zinc Ltd	0.018	0%	$8,682,441
MM1	Midasmineralsltd	0.15	0%	$8,569,765
WMC	Wiluna Mining Corp	0.205	0%	$74,238,031
ZEO	Zeotech Limited	0.055	0%	$90,238,812
ALY	Alchemy Resource Ltd	0.015	0%	$17,671,144
TYX	Tyranna Res Ltd	0.021	0%	$50,534,932
DAF	Discovery Alaska Ltd	0.03	0%	$6,727,041
FTL	Firetail Resources	0.12	0%	$7,800,000
IR1	Irismetals	1.16	0%	$74,506,800
DAL	Dalaroometalsltd	0.059	0%	$1,762,625
TUL	Tulla Resources	0.24	0%	$51,083,628
CMD	Cassius Mining Ltd	0.033	0%	$13,480,266
LLO	Lion One Metals Ltd	0.89	0%	$10,687,977
ESS	Essential Metals Ltd	0.47	-1%	$127,094,180
NVA	Nova Minerals Ltd	0.445	-1%	$94,900,399
RIO	Rio Tinto Limited	117.12	-1%	$43,974,272,710
LEL	Lithenergy	0.67	-1%	$40,902,000
WES	Wesfarmers Limited	48.6	-2%	$56,132,625,236
PAT	Patriot Lithium	0.265	-2%	$16,372,126
ZNC	Zenith Minerals Ltd	0.21	-2%	$75,616,799
LRD	Lordresourceslimited	0.21	-2%	$7,157,806
AGY	Argosy Minerals Ltd	0.61	-2%	$877,754,686
LIT	Lithium Australia	0.037	-3%	$46,405,284
VUL	Vulcan Energy	6.23	-3%	$917,985,926
TKM	Trek Metals Ltd	0.071	-3%	$26,567,991
OCN	Oceanalithiumlimited	0.34	-3%	$12,744,900
QXR	Qx Resources Limited	0.033	-3%	$30,493,319
AOU	Auroch Minerals Ltd	0.0485	-3%	$21,392,257
IGO	IGO Limited	12.325	-3%	$9,632,446,581
AUN	Aurumin	0.031	-3%	$5,720,263
CY5	Cygnus Metals Ltd	0.31	-3%	$58,839,748
SGQ	St George Min Ltd	0.062	-3%	$53,592,675
BNR	Bulletin Res Ltd	0.092	-3%	$27,891,155
RAS	Ragusa Minerals Ltd	0.089	-3%	$13,119,088
LPI	Lithium Pwr Int Ltd	0.29	-3%	$188,729,268
KZR	Kalamazoo Resources	0.145	-3%	$22,472,906
CHR	Charger Metals	0.285	-3%	$12,895,739
MRR	Minrex Resources Ltd	0.027	-4%	$30,376,290
LLL	Leolithiumlimited	0.4675	-4%	$478,528,602
LIS	Lisenergylimited	0.235	-4%	$40,648,976
JRL	Jindalee Resources	2.54	-4%	$152,054,260
TEM	Tempest Minerals	0.022	-4%	$11,649,566
LRS	Latin Resources Ltd	0.11	-4%	$253,190,316
DRE	Dreadnought Resources Ltd	0.065	-4%	$223,973,519
A11	Atlantic Lithium	0.42	-5%	$266,526,330
MIN	Mineral Resources.	79.21	-5%	$15,990,581,575
RDT	Red Dirt Metals Ltd	0.3625	-5%	$169,064,846
AKE	Allkem Limited	10.605	-5%	$7,116,264,240
GSM	Golden State Mining	0.037	-5%	$4,563,554
MNS	Magnis Energy Tech	0.3175	-5%	$325,061,047
AZL	Arizona Lithium Ltd	0.051	-6%	$131,895,251
GT1	Greentechnology	0.68	-6%	$137,331,643
VSR	Voltaic Strategic	0.017	-6%	$5,531,404
LTR	Liontown Resources	1.42	-6%	$3,308,674,223
SCN	Scorpion Minerals	0.065	-6%	$23,853,727
PNN	Power Minerals Ltd	0.4	-6%	$30,704,483
EPM	Eclipse Metals	0.016	-6%	$34,477,016
NMT	Neometals Ltd	0.635	-6%	$373,100,294
PLS	Pilbara Min Ltd	3.65	-6%	$11,662,272,589
CXO	Core Lithium	0.865	-6%	$1,715,890,534
TMB	Tambourahmetals	0.085	-7%	$3,748,526
CRR	Critical Resources	0.042	-7%	$71,763,969
INR	Ioneer Ltd	0.2975	-7%	$671,468,245
LPD	Lepidico Ltd	0.013	-7%	$106,928,804
LKE	Lake Resources	0.545	-8%	$837,767,375
GL1	Globallith	1.32	-8%	$304,837,756
SYA	Sayona Mining Ltd	0.2075	-8%	$1,995,676,531
GLN	Galan Lithium Ltd	1.04	-8%	$346,814,408
MMC	Mitremining	0.22	-8%	$8,636,424
EFE	Eastern Resources	0.011	-8%	$14,903,358
MXR	Maximus Resources	0.032	-9%	$11,166,952
QPM	Queensland Pacific	0.105	-9%	$200,830,011
RGL	Riversgold	0.0155	-9%	$16,072,951
BMM	Balkanminingandmin	0.25	-9%	$12,312,304
WCN	White Cliff Min Ltd	0.009	-10%	$7,840,544
FRS	Forrestaniaresources	0.098	-11%	$6,698,043
1MC	Morella Corporation	0.008	-11%	$54,887,224
KAI	Kairos Minerals Ltd	0.016	-11%	$35,353,683
RMX	Red Mount Min Ltd	0.004	-11%	$10,223,330
KTA	Krakatoa Resources	0.03	-12%	$11,720,137
EMH	European Metals Hldg	0.565	-12%	$81,268,330
ADV	Ardiden Ltd	0.007	-13%	$21,506,683
WR1	Winsome Resources	1.67	-13%	$310,292,270
LRV	Larvottoresources	0.135	-13%	$10,424,482
LLI	Loyal Lithium Ltd	0.26	-13%	$17,847,000
PSC	Prospect Res Ltd	0.1925	-14%	$104,008,379
BYH	Bryah Resources Ltd	0.017	-15%	$5,625,069
A8G	Australasian Metals	0.135	-16%	$6,587,279
TKL	Traka Resources	0.005	-17%	$4,336,647
M2R	Miramar	0.048	-17%	$4,099,541
AX8	Accelerate Resources	0.021	-19%	$9,817,646
THR	Thor Energy PLC	0.004	-20%	$7,390,564

Today 14 lithium stocks went up, 79 went down, and 44 were unchanged.

WHO’S GOT NEWS OUT?

ARGONAUT RESOURCES (ASX:ARE)

An Aboriginal heritage clearance has been granted and a program of works approved for an imminent drilling program at Argonaut’s 80% held Higginsville project in WA.

The company is looking to begin the 3,000m program on March 21.

Meanwhile, soil sampling has recommenced at the Darson pegmatite swarm, following the identification of several LCT pegmatite outcrops – the largest of which measures 400m in strike length — during detailed mapping.

CRITICAL RESOURCES (ASX:CRR)

Spodumene-bearing pegmatites up to 27.45m thick have been intersected in latest drilling at the Main Zone within the wider Mavis Lake project in Canada.

Mapped pegmatites 8, 10, 11, 12, and 20 have now all been drill tested and found to contain spodumene mineralisation.

The company’s drilling program will continue to test and assess these and other mapped pegmatites, in order to develop a greater understanding of the sub-surface structures and associated mineralisation.

CHARGER METALS (ASX:CHR)

Charger Metals has wrapped up a 24-reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Medcalf spodumene discovery, around 450km east of Perth, WA which tested pegmatites over a length of 700m.

CHR says the drilling increased the known extent of the swarm of spodumene-bearing pegmatites, which occur within a 100m zone.

Assays are due shortly.

C29 METALS (ASX:C29)

A maiden hole at the Pocitos 7 Lithium brines project has returned 142ppm lithium, indicating a trend that lithium is concentrating at the 400m depth level above a clay layer with low porosity.

C29 says the next step for the project is to undertake a magnetotellurics (MT) geophysical survey to locate the most prospective position for the next hole.

An MT survey will allow mapping of geologic structures to depths of at least 500m.

LITHIUM ENERGY (ASX:LEL)

Hole 3 (SOZDD003) of the maiden 10-hole drilling program at the Solaroz lithium brine project in the Lithium Triangle in Argentina has confirmed a further lithium discovery.

Significant cumulative intersections of 215 metres of lithium brine mineralisation were encountered across upper and lower aquifers, with results similar to those reported in the first hole – supporting the potential for widespread lithium brine occurrences across the project.