V-Con: Lithium – riding the EV and battery metals boom
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V-Con is Stockhead’s investing focused video conference series, bringing you expert insights, panel discussions and presentations from leading analysts, listed small caps and industry players.
This latest video conference focuses on the lithium sector.
Lithium is a key input material into lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
Demand for lithium is expected to take off rapidly in the years ahead as EV makers such as Tesla and Nio seek to source the element to drive the electric transport revolution.
European countries are pressing ahead with plans to gradually eliminate petrol and diesel-driven vehicles from their streets and to replace these with EVs powered by battery metals including lithium.
US president Joe Biden has launched his Clean Energy Revolution for America and EVs are a centrepiece of this policy.
Lithium-ion batteries also have a place in electronic goods like smartphones and laptops, and in electricity storage units to even out the energy flow from renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecast lithium demand will nearly double to 1 million tonnes by 2025 from 500,000 tonnes in 2021.
This surging demand is reflected in rising prices for lithium carbonate which have jumped 68 per cent to $US10,400 per tonne since December 2020.
This is after the market stirred from its long slumber when prices traded for around $US6,200 per tonne last year, according to Trading Economics.
A good number of ASX companies are involved in either exploration or mining for lithium or in developing processing plants and battery anode facilities for the mineral including in Australia, Europe and North America.
To get a gauge on the growth prospects for the lithium industry, we hear from experts and a selection of listed companies making waves in the sector, each giving an overview of market trends, price dynamics, and future plans.
Session 1 – Expert Interview
Sky News and CNBC business journalist Oriel Morrison interviews Daniel Jimenez, managing partner of iLiMarkets
iLi Markets provides a range of mining consultancy services to customers around the globe. The group works with companies along the lithium supply chain, mining firms, investment banks, investment funds, public institutions, and private investors.
Session 2 – Company Presentations
Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE)
Steve Promnitz, managing director
Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE, OTC: LLKKF) is a clean lithium developer utilising cost-competitive direct extraction technology for production of sustainable, high purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Project within the Lithium Triangle in Argentina among other projects covering 220,000 acres.
Hawkstone Mining Ltd (ASX:HWK)
Paul Lloyd, managing director
Hawkstone Mining is the 100% owner of the Big Sandy Lithium project in Arizona, USA. The Big Sandy project has a JORC compliant resource of 321,000T of LCE from only 4% of the landholding. The Big Sandy project is ideally located in Arizona with all required infrastructure close by with substantial state incentives on offer.
Galan Lithium Ltd (ASX:GLN)
JP Vargas de la Vega, managing director
Galan is an ASX listed company developing lithium brine projects within South America’s Lithium Triangle on the Hombre Muerto salar in Argentina. Galan also hold an exploration licence at the Greenbushes South Lithium project in Western Australia.
Infinity Lithium Corporation Ltd (ASX:INF)
Ryan Parkin, managing director
Infinity is progressing the development of the fully integrated San Jose Lithium Project to potentially supply battery grade lithium hydroxide from the EU’s 2nd largest lithium hard rock resource. There has been massive investment in the EU’s lithium-ion battery value chain as the member states move towards Net Zero Carbon 2050.
Core Lithium Ltd (ASX:CXO)
Stephen Biggins, managing director
Core Lithium is well positioned to be Australia’s next lithium producer, developing one of Australia’s most capital efficient and lowest cost spodumene lithium projects located near Darwin Port in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Lithium Australia NL Ltd (ASX:LIT)
Adrian Griffin, managing director
Lithium Australia has developed a suite of processing technologies capable of transporting lithium from concentrates, and waste materials (tailings, sub-grade concentrates and spent batteries) through to cathode powders and lithium ion batteries with the minimum number of process steps and optimised carbon footprint.
