Le lithium, le prix en baisse aprés la flambée.

[energy_isere]

Tianqi Lithium compagnie chinoise dont j' ai déjà parlé, par exemple: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=29527&p=2343746&hi ... i#p2343746
et qui est à la bourse de Shenzen veut maintenant s'introduire à la bourse de Hong Kong la semaine prochaine pour lever 1 à 1.2 milliards de dollars.

Tianqi Lithium wins nod for $1 billion Hong Kong listing

Bloomberg News | June 16, 2022

Tianqi Lithium Corp., a Chinese supplier of the key material used in batteries, has won the Hong Kong stock exchange’s approval for its planned listing in the city, people with knowledge of the matter said.


The Shenzhen-listed company received the green light following a hearing Thursday with the Hong Kong bourse’s listing committee, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. It’s considering raising $1 billion to $1.2 billion in the share sale, one of the people said.

Tianqi Lithium plans to start gauging investor demand for the offering as soon as next week, the people said. At $1 billion, Tianqi’s offering would be Hong Kong’s biggest listing so far this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Deliberations are ongoing, and details such as the fundraising amount and timing could still change, the people said. A representative for Tianqi Lithium declined to comment.

Morgan Stanley, China International Capital Corp. and CMB International Capital Corp. are the joint sponsors of the deal, according to a preliminary prospectus.

https://www.mining.com/web/tianqi-lithi ... g-listing/

[energy_isere]

Le Lithium, toujours en devenir en Bolivie :

Bolivia again delays announcement on lithium mining tie-ups

Reuters | June 15, 2022

Bolivia’s government on Wednesday declined to name which of six short-listed companies it would select to help mine its untapped lithium riches, with the chief of the country’s state-run lithium company saying more than one could be eventually selected.


The government had already postponed a final announcement on its selection last month, amid high hopes the private partners can help jumpstart lithium extraction in Bolivia’s sprawling salt flats, home to the world’s largest deposits of the white metal.

Despite decades of attempts, Bolivia has yet to achieve any commercial lithium production despite demand for the metal having surged in recent years.

“It could be that there is more than one company that can support this industrialization process. The objective is to move for the industrialization of lithium in a way that could work with more than one company,” said Carlos Ramos, head of Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB).

“Investments for the plants will be determined based on each of the technologies” the companies can offer, he added.

The government narrowed down the final selection from eight to six suitors earlier this month, after disqualifying American startup EnergyX and Argentine energy firm Tecpetrol.

However, the landlocked country still faces steep challenges to meet its target of producing lithium-ion batteries locally by 2025.

A Reuters report last month highlighted the technological challenges, social resistance, legal obstacles and political scrambles undermining Bolivia’s extractions plans.

Meanwhile, none of the short-listed firms have exploited lithium at a commercial scale before.

https://www.mining.com/web/bolivia-agai ... g-tie-ups/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 13 aout 2021 viewtopic.php?p=2324489#p2324489

Critical Elements delivers feasibility on Rose lithium with $1.9 billion after-tax NPV

Staff Writer | June 14, 2022

Critical Elements (TSXV: CRE) has delivered a new feasibility study on its wholly owned Rose lithium-tantalum project in the Eeyou-Istchee, James Bay region of Quebec, confirming the potential for a low-risk, reliable producer of high-quality lithium.


The study envisions a 17-year operation that will excavate a total of 26.3 million tonnes of ore grading 0.87% Li2O (lithium oxide) and 138 ppm Ta2O5 (tantalum pentoxide). These mineral reserves, all categorized as probable, are estimated from 17 mineralized zones on the Rose property.

Each year, the proposed mill will process 1.61 million tonnes of ore to produce an annual average of 224,686 tonnes of technical and chemical grade spodumene concentrates and 441 tonnes of tantalite concentrate, according to the study, which assumes that a simple open pit mining and conventional lithium processing technologies is used.

Over the life of mine, the pit will excavate a total of 182.4 million tonnes of waste rock and 10.9 million tonnes of overburden. The average strip ratio is 7.3 tonnes of waste per tonne of ore.

The report pegs the Rose project at an after-tax net present value of over $1.91 billion (at 8% discount rate) with an internal rate of return of 82.4%. The initial capital cost is estimated at $357 million. Variable costs include average operating costs of $74.48/t milled and $540/t concentrate (all concentrate production combined).

To reflect current market conditions, the feasibility used conservative spodumene concentrate prices, as well as capital and operating cost estimates ($4,039/t technical grade lithium concentrate, $1,852/t chemical grade lithium concentrate, and $130/kg tantalum pentoxide).

It is anticipated that construction of the mine will take about 21 months. The Rose property is currently accessible by road via the Route du Nord, usable all year round from Chibougamau, and is surrounded by existing mine operations and infrastructure. The project is located 80 km south of Goldcorp’s Éléonore gold mine and 45 km northwest of Nemaska’s Whabouchi lithium project, and is 20 km south of Hydro Québec’s Eastmain 1 hydroelectricity generating plant.

The entire property covers over 24,600 ha of land, geologically located northeast end of the Archean Lake Superior Province of the Canadian Shield.

https://www.mining.com/critical-element ... r-tax-npv/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 3 mars 2018 viewtopic.php?p=2267194#p2267194

Le chinois Sinomine Resource lance le projet Bikita, mine de Lithium au Zimbabwe , pour 200 millions de dollars.

Sinomine invests $200m in Zimbabwe lithium project

Reuters | June 17, 2022


mage courtesy of Bikita Minerals

China’s Sinomine Resource Group on Friday launched a $200 million project to build a plant and expand existing mining operations at its recently acquired Bikita lithium mine in Zimbabwe.


The southern African country holds some of the world’s largest deposits of lithium, a key battery mineral, and hopes for an economic boost from a global drive towards clean energy.

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who officiated at Sinomine’s launch event at Bikita Minerals, 325 kilometres south of the capital Harare, said the investment positions the country as a major player in the global battery minerals supply chain.

“The launch of this project follows an investment of about $200 million by Sinomine Resource Group, which will see the building of a new plant and expansion of existing operations,” Mnangagwa said.

Shenzhen-listed Sinomine acquired Bikita Minerals in a $180 million transaction in January. The mine has been in operation since 1950 and predominantly produces petalite, a lithium mineral used in the glass and ceramic industries, but Sinomine now plans to produce spodumene – a key battery mineral.

On May 23, Sinomine announced plans to raise 3 billion yuan ($450 million) in a private placement to fund its lithium plans, including the Zimbabwe project.

Sinomine has also set up a joint venture with the Chengxin Lithium Group’s Zimbabwe unit to drive lithium projects in the country.

Chengxin paid $76.5 million last November for 51% of a company which owns lithium and rare earth mineral blocks in Zimbabwe.

Another Chinese firm, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, recently purchased the Arcadia hard-rock lithium mine just outside Harare from Australia-listed Prospect Resources and other Zimbabwean minorities in a $422 million deal.

Huayou has announced plans to invest $300 million on the rapid development of a lithium mine and processing plant at Arcadia.

($1 = 6.7020 Chinese yuan renminbi)

https://www.mining.com/web/sinomine-inv ... m-project/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 29 nov 2021 viewtopic.php?p=2331646#p2331646

Lithium : Stellantis devient le deuxième actionnaire de Vulcan Energy et prolonge l'accord d'approvisionnement auprès de sa future mine allemande

AFP le 24 juin 2022

Stellantis devient le deuxième actionnaire de Vulcan Energy et prolonge l'accord d'approvisionnement en lithium auprès de sa future mine allemande jusqu'à 2036, ont annoncé les deux groupes vendredi dans un communiqué.

L'accord initial, signé en 2021, prévoyait la livraison de 81 000 à 99 000 tonnes d'hydroxyde de lithium entre 2026 et 2031, pour équiper plusieurs centaines de milliers de voitures. Ce nouvel investissement doit permettre "d'augmenter la production d'hydroxyde de lithium à faibles émissions nécessaire aux véhicules électrifiés de Stellantis en Europe", explique le communiqué.

Le projet de mine et de raffinerie de Vulcan Energy dans la haute vallée du Rhin, en Allemagne, est un des principaux projets européens d'extraction de lithium, pensés pour être moins polluants que la production actuelle en Australie et en Amérique du Sud.

Vulcan prévoit de produire de l'hydroxyde de lithium sans utiliser de combustibles fossiles et avec une empreinte carbone "neutre" dans le cadre de son projet Zero Carbon Lithium, développe le communiqué. Ce métal, dont l'approvisionnement est surtout contrôlé par la Chine, entre dans la composition des batteries rechargeables les plus utilisées dans les véhicules électriques.

Le groupe automobile aux quatorze marques (Peugeot, Fiat, Opel) a indiqué a l'AFP détenir 8% du capital de Vulcan Energy, devenant ainsi le deuxième actionnaire du groupe, après le fondateur et directeur général de Vulcan, Francis Wedin.

"Stellantis est déjà notre client le plus important, et nous sommes impatients d'approfondir nos relations avec lui en tant qu'actionnaire majeur de Vulcan et du projet Zero Carbon Lithium", a déclaré Francis Wedin dans le communiqué.

Stellantis compte réaliser 100% de ses ventes de véhicules particuliers en électrique en Europe d'ici à 2030, et 50% aux États-Unis.

https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org ... nde-220624

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 4 juin 2022 : viewtopic.php?p=2344654#p2344654

Mali : le copropriétaire de la future mine de lithium Goulamina entre officiellement en bourse

Agence Ecofin 23 juin 2022

Avec la RDC et le Zimbabwe, le Mali fait partie des trois pays africains où le secteur du lithium est promis à un avenir brillant. Dans le pays ouest-africain, les ambitions de participation au marché des batteries électriques sont notamment portées par le projet Goulamina.

En Australie, la société Leo Lithium est devenue depuis ce matin une société cotée en bourse, précisément sur le marché ASX. Pour y arriver, le copropriétaire du projet de lithium Goulamina au Mali a bouclé une offre publique initiale qui l’a vu lever un montant brut de 100 millions de dollars australiens.

« Un voyage passionnant nous attend alors que nous nous efforçons de réaliser tout le potentiel de Goulamina et de mettre le projet en production. […] le développement étant déjà en cours, notamment le programme de forage 2022, l’acquisition d’articles à long délai de livraison et le début des travaux routiers », a assuré Simon Hay, DG de Leo Lithium.

Leo Lithium est issu d’une scission avec l’australien Firefinch, désormais ancien propriétaire de Goulamina. Le projet est détenu à 50 % par la nouvelle entité, aux côtés de l’investisseur chinois Ganfeng Lithium qui a apporté le financement nécessaire à la construction de la mine. Avec la disponibilité des fonds et une équipe entièrement dédiée au projet, la première production de concentré de spodumène SC6 devrait intervenir durant la première moitié de l’année 2024.

Participer au marché des véhicules électriques

La première phase d’exploitation devrait permettre à Goulamina de livrer annuellement jusqu’à 506 000 tonnes de concentré de spodumène de qualité SC6. Ce dernier est l’un des matériaux utilisés dans la fabrication de batteries. Une montée en puissance devrait permettre de porter la production annuelle à 831 000 tonnes au cours de la phase 2.

Selon Precedence Research, la taille du marché mondial des batteries pour véhicules électriques devrait atteindre 560 milliards de dollars en 2030, contre 46 milliards l’année dernière. C’est un marché immense où les opportunités restent nombreuses pour les pays ayant les ressources indispensables à la production de ces batteries.

Si le Mali devrait se contenter à court terme des taxes, dividendes et autres redevances habituellement versées aux pays producteurs, le gouvernement peut profiter de la forte demande mondiale pour pousser les compagnies minières à développer une industrie de transformation locale de ce lithium. A cet égard, une coopération avec la RDC, dont le gouvernement a le même objectif, pourrait entrainer la création de synergies à l’échelle du continent.

Par ailleurs, le développement du projet Goulamina peut également inciter d’autres investisseurs à s’intéresser au potentiel du pays dans le secteur du lithium, d’autant plus qu’il ne s’agit pas du seul projet en cours de développement dans le pays. A 180 km au sud de Bamako la capitale malienne, le britannique Kodal Minerals pilote en effet le projet Bougouni, actif capable de livrer environ 2 millions de tonnes de lithium en 8,5 ans.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/compagnie/ ... -en-bourse

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 23 sept 2018 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 6#p2272636

Lithium Power prend le contrôle majoritaire du projet de Lithium de Maricunga (Chili).
L'investissement serait de 626 millions de dollars.

Lithium Power to take full ownership of Maricunga project in Chile
Through two separate transactions, the Australian firm will acquire the stakes held by MSB and Bearing Lithium in the lithium brine project

By NS Energy Staff Writer 23 Jun 2022

Lithium Power International (LPI) is set to take full ownership of the Maricunga lithium brine project in Chile through a three-party all-scrip merger with its joint venture (JV) partners Minera Salar Blanco (MSB) and Bearing Lithium.

Currently, the Australia-based Lithium Power has a 51.55% stake in the Chilean project. Minera Salar Blanco and Bearing Lithium hold stakes of 31.31% and 17.14%, respectively.

Maricunga is an advanced, high-grade lithium salar located in the Atacama Region of northern Chile.

By taking full ownership of Maricunga, Lithium Power expects to simplify decision-making while ensuring the optimal structure to oversee the quick development of the project.

Besides, the company will be de-risking the funding pathway and boosting its chances to source capital for the project development from a broader range of providers when compared with the current joint venture ownership structure.

Earlier this year, Lithium Power released the results of its updated definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the first stage development of the Maricunga lithium brine project, which involves a capital expenditure of $626m.

The DFS supports the production of 15,200 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate (LCE) for 20 years.

Lithium Power chairman David Hannon said: “The updated DFS released on 20 January 2022 demonstrates that Maricunga could be one of the lowest cost producers of lithium carbonate in the world, with the Project’s strong economics underpinning a highly attractive asset.

“This transaction is a highly logical step for LPI. By assuming full control of the Project, LPI will create a strong platform from which to develop and fund Maricunga. We look forward to continuing to deliver long-term value for all LPI shareholders, including MSB SpA and the new Bearing shareholders.”

Lithium Power will acquire Minera Salar Blanco’s stake in the Maricunga lithium brine project in exchange of nearly 161.6 million of its newly issued shares, which are worth around A$75m ($51.65m).

Post-transaction, Minera Salar Blanco will get a stake of 26.7% in Lithium Power.

Bearing Lithium has agreed to merge with Lithium Power. As per the terms of the deal, Bearing Lithium’s shareholders will exchange each of their shares for 0.7 of Lithium Power’s shares along with a cash distribution estimated at C$0.02 ($0.015) per share.

The deal will give Bearing Lithium’s shareholders a stake of 15.6% in Lithium Power.

According to Lithium Power, the two transactions will increase its shareholders’ proportionate interest in the Maricunga lithium brine project to 57.9%.

The deals have been endorsed unanimously by the boards of the three companies.

https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/l ... ect-chile/


The Maricunga lithium project sits on its namesake salt flat, Chile’s second-largest in terms of reserves. (Image courtesy of Lithium Power International.)

https://www.mining.com/lithium-power-to ... e-project/

[energy_isere]

Encore des prospects de Lithium au Botswana :

Arkle secures three lithium exploration licences in Zimbabwe
The licences represent a low-cost entry for the firm into one of the world’s biggest lithium-producing countries.

June 24, 2022

Ireland-based exploration company Arkle Resources has received three licences, covering an area of 163ha, with a prospect for lithium in Zimbabwe.

Located in the Insiza District of the Matabeleland South Province, the licences cover a small area.

Following identification of the free ground, Arkle pegged the area and submitted an application for the licences.

In the late 1960s, the ground was subject to limited mining of lepidolite, a lithium-bearing mineral associated with spodumene.

The company said that the licences represent a ‘low-cost entry’ into Zimbabwe, one of the globe’s biggest lithium producers.

Arkle chairman John Teeling said: “The directors have long experience in Zimbabwe and are aware of the extensive history and potential for hard rock lithium in the country. The lithium is contained in spodumene/pegmatites.

“It is only recently that rising lithium prices and the potential of a massive supply gap to meet battery demand have made the extraction of hard rock lithium viable.

“We have examined what ground was available and been granted three licences, one of which was a small lepidolite producer – a lithium-associated mineral. We continue to examine additional opportunities in battery metals.”

Earlier this year, Arkle and its joint venture partner Group Eleven Resources started drilling on the Stonepark group of licences in Limerick, Ireland.

Group Eleven Resources has a 76.56% stake in the Stonepark project while Arkle owns the remaining 23.44% holding.

The property is located adjacent to Glencore’s Pallas Green deposit, which is said to be one of the world’s largest undeveloped zinc projects.

https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... -zimbabwe/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 5 dec 2021 viewtopic.php?p=2332114#p2332114

Beaux résultats de forages exploratoires à Tonopah pour ABTC

American Battery lithium drill results 'beyond expectations'

By Dominic Ellis June 22, 2022

Initial exploratory drilling programme at Tonopah Flats Lithium Project consisted of 16 targeted drill holes

American Battery Technology Company's drill results from its initial exploratory subsurface drill program at its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project in Big Smoky Valley, Nevada, are 'beyond expectations'.

CEO Ryan Melsert said the drilling indicates a widespread lithium mineralisation that is consistent in both area and depth throughout the sampled materials.

The initial exploratory drilling program consisted of 16 targeted drill holes on ABTC’s 10,340 acres of lithium-bearing claims, and was guided by surface sampling results collected in early 2022. The project encompasses 517 unpatented lode claims covering approximately 10,340 acres.



..........................

https://miningdigital.com/supply-chain- ... pectations

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 29 mai 2022 viewtopic.php?p=2344212#p2344212

Une troisième phase de forage exploratoire au gisement de Grota do Cirilo (Brésil) augmente encore fortement la ressource du projet.

Sigma eyes lithium major status after boosting Brazil resources

Bloomberg News | June 22, 2022 |

Sigma Lithium Corp. says the results of a drilling program in Brazil confirms it will emerge as one of the world’s biggest producers of the key ingredient in batteries for electric vehicles.


The Grota do Cirilo project in Minas Gerais state is on track to begin producing early next year at an annual rate of 37,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, as it wraps up engineering for a second phase that would take output to about 72,000 tons in 2024, the Vancouver-based firm said in statement.

That would make it the biggest hard-rock lithium project in the Americas, and behind only Soc. Quimica y Minera de Chile SA, Albemarle Corp. and Pilbara Minerals Ltd. in the global lithium rankings. Drilling for a third phase has boosted resources by about 50% to almost 86 million tons, Sigma said.

It would also mark Brazil’s arrival on the global lithium stage as the biggest iron ore producer after Australia looks to lure more exploration and development in minerals key to the clean energy transformation at a time when the pandemic and the war in Ukraine accelerate the splintering of traditional trade ties.

“This is us walking the talk,” Ana Cabral Gardner, co-chief executive officer said in an interview. “We’ll put Brazil on the map.”

Controlled by Brazilian private equity fund A10 Investimentos, Sigma has signed supply deals with LG Energy Solution and Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. It’s fully funded for the first phase and plans to use project finance for the second phase.

https://www.mining.com/web/sigma-eyes-l ... resources/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 31 mars 2019 viewtopic.php?p=2282431#p2282431

le prospect Finiss en Australie est devenu une vraie mine.

J'avais raté la décision finale d'investissement en 2021, lire cet article du 13 janvier 2022 qui décrit le projet : https://www.mining-technology.com/proje ... r%20Darwin.

Finniss lithium project reserves
The proven and probable mineral reserves were estimated at 7.4 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1.3% Li₂O, as of July 2021.
.................

https://www.felix.net/project-news/core ... project-nt

et maintenant :

Tesla lithium supplier targets first shipment by year-end

Cecilia Jamasmie | June 21, 2022



Australia’s Core Lithium (ASX: CXO), which counts electric vehicles giant Tesla among its future costumers, is planning to send its first shipment of the key battery material by the end of the year.


The company’s flagship Finniss lithium project, near Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory, is expected to produce 175,000 tonnes of high-quality lithium spodumene concentrate a year.

Tesla is expected to receive up to 110,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate from Core Lithium’s mine over four years, starting before July 2023, but the final deal has not been inked yet.

The Adelaide-based company said on Tuesday that early-stage mining operations were impacted by higher rainfall and an extended wet season which resulted in a temporary increase in fuel consumption and delays to open-pit mining.

The project is now “progressing well”, Core Lithium noted, and mining had accelerated “with the arrival of the dry season and the commissioning of an additional excavator and trucks to site.”

Once online, Finniss will be the first Australian lithium-producing mine outside Western Australia.

Most of the world’s current lithium output is locked away in long term deals as downstream chemicals producers, battery makers and EV companies are frantically trying to secure future supply.

The world’s top automakers, from Tesla to Volkswagen to Toyota, have said they need an ever-growing supply of battery materials to accelerate the roll-out of EVs.

Experts expect demand for the battery metal coming from the sector to account for almost three quarters of its consumption by 2030, up from 41% in 2020.

Shortage to last

They have also warned that the world’s shortage of lithium would last for another three years at least, but with the cancellation of Rio Tinto’s Jadar project in Serbia, the shortfall would now last for several years.

Tesla also has a five-year supply deal with another Aussie miner — Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR), which will provide the EV maker with more 100,000 tonnes of lithium spodumene concentrate a year, starting in 2024.

A previous agreement with China-based Ganfeng Lithium (SHE: 002460) grants the automaker a three-year supply of battery-grade lithium, starting later this year. The EV icon also has agreements with BHP (ASX: BHP) for nickel and Mozambique-focused Syrah Resources (ASX: SYR) for graphite.

https://www.mining.com/tesla-lithium-su ... -year-end/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 27 novembre 2021 viewtopic.php?p=2331555#p2331555

Cornish Lithium secures further $11m for UK project

Cecilia Jamasmie | June 24, 2022 |

Cornish Lithium, the start-up hoping to lead the development of an industry for the battery metal in the UK, has secured another £9 million ($11 million) from metals-focused investment company TechMet to help fast-track its lithium projects in the homeland.


The amount corresponds to the second tranche of an £18 million ($22m at today’s exchange rate) funding package agreed with the private investor in November.

TechMet’s decision to further invest in Cornish Lithium follows a full review of the miner’s Trelavour Scoping Study, which sets out the design and economics of the namesake project based upon the production of battery grade lithium hydroxide.

Cornish Lithium said the investment will allow it to accelerate the construction of a demonstration plant for lithium processing, a feasibility study for its Trelavour project, and conduct additional drilling.

The Trelavour hard rock lithium project comprises an open pit mine of lithium enriched granite and processing facilities that will yield concentrate of lithium-bearing mica. Lithium hydroxide will then be produced from the mica concentrate at an industrial site near the mine, Cornish Lithium said.

According to the scoping study, the mine will produce 25 million tonnes per annum, with a 20-year mine life producing an average of 7,800 tonnes of lithium hydroxide a year.

......................
Cornish Lithium is simultaneously advancing its United Downs project. It built last year a geothermal water test site and demonstration plant, which is being used to trial direct lithium extraction process technologies.

https://www.mining.com/cornish-lithium- ... k-project/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 5 juillet 2020 viewtopic.php?p=2306416#p2306416

Le sud-africain Sibanye-Stillwater augmentera son investissement dans le lithium en Finlande

Agence Ecofin 30 juin 2022

Les perspectives sur le marché mondial des métaux verts poussent de nombreux investisseurs à se lancer dans le développement de nouveaux projets. C’est le cas de Sibanye-Stillwater, géant minier réputé jusqu’ici pour ses projets de platine et d’or.

Le géant minier Sibanye-Stillwater actif dans les métaux du groupe de platine et l’or en Afrique du Sud et aux Etats-Unis, a annoncé le jeudi 30 juin son intention d’acquérir une participation majoritaire au capital du finlandais Keliber Oy. Cela intervient après le rachat d’une participation initiale de 30,29 % dans la société active sur un projet de lithium prometteur en Finlande.

Sibanye-Stillwater compte exercer une option lui permettant de détenir 50 % d’intérêts plus une action dans la société, tout en lançant simultanément une offre aux actionnaires minoritaires afin de porter ses parts dans Keliber à 80 %.

« Nous sommes impatients de nous associer à nos parties prenantes finlandaises pour construire le projet Keliber qui sera la première opération minière et métallurgique en Europe à fournir de l’hydroxyde de lithium de haute qualité », a commenté Neal Froneman, PDG de Sibanye-Stillwater.

Selon l’étude de faisabilité définitive réalisée l’année dernière, le projet Keliber peut en effet livrer annuellement 15 000 tonnes d’hydroxyde de lithium, un matériau utilisé dans la production des batteries électriques. Avec les investissements des constructeurs automobiles européens dans les véhicules électriques, ce projet ne devrait pas manquer de clients.

Cela explique l’investissement du géant minier sud-africain qui a lancé depuis quelques mois une politique de diversification de ses investissements avec comme cible les métaux « verts », c’est-à-dire ceux qui sont essentiels à la transition énergétique. Après l’échec de la transaction sur le cuivre et le nickel au Brésil en début d’année, il s’agit donc d’un rebond pour Sibanye.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/compagnie/ ... n-finlande

Sibanye-Stillwater seeks control of Finnish lithium miner

Cecilia Jamasmie | June 30, 2022

Precious metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater (JSE: SSW) (NYSE: SBSW) revealed on Thursday it is in talks to take a controlling stake in Finnish lithium firm Keliber, adding that the plan is to have an 80% in the company, which aims to be Europe’s first fully integrated lithium producer.


The South African miner currently has a 30.29% stake, held through Keliber Oy, which owns the namesake project in Finland’s Kaustinen region.

SIGN UP FOR THE BATTERY METALS DIGEST

Sibanye is seeking to hike its interest in Keliber to an initial 50% plus one share by exercising its pre-emptive rights.

The move, part of Sibanye’s strategy of diversifying away from South African platinum and gold production into battery metals, would cost it €146 million ($152.4 million).

Increasing its presence in those regions will also help persuade investors to rerate the company, which is being held back by issues in its home country, chief executive officer Neal Froneman has said.

The company noted that it will make a voluntary cash offer to Keliber minority shareholders to boost its stake to 80%. The bid will not be extended to the Finnish Minerals Group, a state-owned firm holding a stake of around 20% in Keliber, it said, adding it expects all the transactions to be completed by February 13, 2023.

This deal will cost Sibanye €446 million ($463m) at most, of which it will contribute a maximum of €250 million($260m) in equity. It is subject to approval from the South African Reserve Bank and 50% of Keliber shareholders.

“This is a further significant step in our strategy to build a unique global portfolio of green metals in a value accretive manner,” Froneman said in the statement.

The veteran dealmaker said in May its company would resume battery-metals acquisitions within two to three years, once inflated asset valuations come down.

Sibanye bought lithium and nickel assets in the US and Europe last year, but with prices for those and other battery metals ballooning over the past 12 months, mergers and acquisitions in the sector are less appealing.

The proposed Keliber lithium mine consists of several advanced stage lithium spodumene deposits with 9.3 million tonnes of ore reserves and contemplates the construction of a chemical plant near the port of Kokkola.

Production is expected to start in 2024 with an annual output at 15,000 tonnes of battery grade lithium hydroxide.

https://www.mining.com/sibanye-stillwat ... ium-miner/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 28 mai 2022 viewtopic.php?p=2344120#p2344120

Zimbabwe : Huayou Cobalt s’engage à transformer localement le lithium d’Arcadia

Agence Ecofin 1er juillet 2022

Arcadia représente l’un des projets de lithium les plus prometteurs en Afrique, avec Manono en RDC et Goulamina au Mali. A Harare, les autorités cherchent donc à miser sur cet actif pour participer directement au marché des batteries électriques. Il faudra néanmoins surmonter des obstacles.

Au Zimbabwe, Huayou Cobalt mettra sur pied une unité de transformation locale du lithium d’Arcadia en matériau pour batteries électriques, une fois que « les conditions économiques et de construction seront réunies ». C’est ce qu’a rapporté Reuters jeudi, quelques jours après une décision de la Commission de la concurrence et des tarifs du pays.

Le régulateur a en effet posé comme condition au rachat du projet auprès de l’australien Prospect Resources l’engagement du nouveau propriétaire chinois à produire du lithium de qualité batterie dans les cinq ans après le début de la production.

Pour Huayou Cobalt, les difficultés à assurer l’approvisionnement en énergie et en divers intrants rendent cet objectif quasi impossible à atteindre à court terme. « Le développement d’infrastructures qui permettraient le raffinage à proximité de la production [ne peut se faire] sans le soutien de partenaires locaux et sans les bonnes conditions », précise la compagnie.

Pour rappel, Arcadia devrait entrer en production en 2023, grâce notamment à un investissement de 300 millions de dollars annoncé en mai par Huayou Cobalt. Selon une étude de faisabilité optimisée publiée par l’ancien propriétaire, le projet peut livrer une moyenne annuelle de 107 500 tonnes de pétalite chaque année et 133 300 tonnes de spodumène chimique sur 20 ans.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/industrie/ ... -d-arcadia

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 22 mai 2022 viewtopic.php?p=2343748#p2343748

Pilbara Minerals to invest $205m to enhance production at Pilgangoora operation

By NS Energy Staff Writer 29 Jun 2022

Pilbara Minerals aims to increase the project’s production capacity from 580,000tpa to 680,000tpa of spodumene concentrate (P680 Project), by building a primary rejection heavy media separation circuit


Primary Rejection 3D design model. (Credit: Pilbara Minerals)

Australian lithium producer Pilbara Minerals is set to invest around A$297.5m ($205.51m) to enhance the production capacity of its Pilgangoora operation, located in Western Australia.

The investment is part of the company’s Final Investment Decision (FID).

With the investment, Pilbara Minerals aims to increase the project’s production capacity from 580,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) to 680,000tpa of spodumene concentrate (P680 Project).

The company will build a primary rejection heavy media separation circuit (Primary Rejection).

It is expected to enable rejection of low-grade waste material and provide an additional 100,000tpa spodumene concentrate production capacity at an estimated cost of A$103m.

Through the new Primary Rejection circuit, P680 Project is expected to touch higher production volumes at reduced unit operating costs, using existing infrastructure.
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https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/p ... lgangoora/