Le lithium, le prix en baisse aprés la flambée.

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 18 novembre 2023 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 8#p2380328

Mali : potentiellement plus de lithium que prévu à Bougouni

Agence Ecofin 25 juin 2024

Avec une entrée en production prévue pour le quatrième trimestre 2024, Bougouni devrait être la deuxième mine de lithium du Mali. Le projet héberge 31,9 millions de tonnes de ressources minérales titrant 1,06 % de lithium, avec un potentiel de hausse.

Kodal Minerals a publié le 25 juin une mise à jour de ses travaux d’exploration sur le projet de lithium Bougouni au Mali. La compagnie britannique y présente des résultats de forage qui laissent entrevoir la possibilité de prolonger de 4 ans la durée de vie de l’usine de séparation en milieu dense.

L’usine en question devrait permettre la production annuelle de 125 000 tonnes de concentré de spodumène sur quatre ans (2024-2028). La deuxième phase d’exploitation de la mine devrait se faire par le biais d’un système de flottation qui permettra de produire 230 000 tonnes de concentré sur la période 2026-2036.

Au niveau du prospect Boumou, des forages à circulation inverse (RC) ont été réalisés sur 3 234 m, et 2 129 échantillons ont été soumis pour analyse. Kodal a identifié du minerai avec des teneurs variant de 1,08 % à 1,74 % à des profondeurs allant jusqu’à 179 m. Ces résultats, et ceux à venir dans les prochaines semaines, devraient être utilisés pour l’élaboration d’une nouvelle estimation de ressources minérales. Celle de novembre 2023 a montré que le prospect Boumou héberge 13,1 millions de tonnes contenant 1,04 % de lithium.

« Le prospect Boumou de notre projet phare Bougouni Lithium continue de dépasser nos attentes et ces nouvelles intersections larges et à haute teneur renforcent l’interprétation de la continuité de la minéralisation de pegmatite », a commenté Bernard Aylward, PDG de Kodal.

Rappelons que Bougouni devrait devenir au dernier trimestre 2024 la deuxième mine de lithium au Mali. Cette mise en service interviendra quelques mois après celle de Goulamina en août prochain, première mine du pays.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/metaux/250 ... a-bougouni

[energy_isere]

ExxonMobil to drill first lithium well in Arkansas
The product offer will be branded as Mobil Lithium, building on the rich history of deep technical partnership between Mobil and the automotive industry

Staff Writer 26th Jun 2024

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) announced plans to become a leading producer of lithium, a key component of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Work has begun for the company’s first phase of North America lithium production in southwest Arkansas, an area known to hold significant lithium deposits. The product offer will be branded as Mobil Lithium, building on the rich history of deep technical partnership between Mobil and the automotive industry.

“Lithium is essential to the energy transition, and ExxonMobil has a leading role to play in paving the way for electrification,” said Dan Ammann, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. “This landmark project applies decades of ExxonMobil expertise to unlock vast supplies of North American lithium with far fewer environmental impacts than traditional mining operations.”

In early 2023, ExxonMobil acquired the rights to 120,000 gross acres of the Smackover formation in southern Arkansas – considered one of the most prolific lithium resources of its type in North America.

“South Arkansas is our state’s all-around energy capital, producing oil, natural gas, and now thanks to investments like ExxonMobil’s and their combination of skills and scale, lithium,” said Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “My administration supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy that guarantees good, high-paying jobs for Arkansas – and we’ll continue to cut taxes and slash red tape to make that happen.”

Southwest Arkansas has a history as an oil and natural gas producer, and the region’s geology is well understood. ExxonMobil is working with local and state officials to enable the successful scale-up of Arkansas’ emerging lithium industry.

https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/e ... &cf-closed

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 27 aout 2023 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 6#p2375826

E3 expects Clearwater project to produce lithium hydroxide at 32,250 t/y

Reuters | June 26, 2024 |

Canadian lithium-focused company E3 Lithium said on Wednesday its Clearwater project in Alberta would have an initial capacity of 32,250 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year.

Backed by Exxon’s Imperial Oil, E3 Lithium said in its pre-feasibility study that its initial capital expenditure on the project would amount to $2.47 billion.

Lithium is mainly used to make EV batteries, and has historically been produced using water-intensive evaporation ponds or open-pit mines. But a fleet of direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies is trying to upend that.

DLE technologies extract the white metal from brine using filters, membranes, ceramic beads or other equipment that can typically be housed in a small warehouse.

The Clearwater project is expected to have a production life of 50 years. Over this period, the lithium hydroxide production could reduce to 25,850 tonnes per year on average, as the lithium grade declines when the brine starts to mix with the production well.

The DLE process often uses lots of potable water and electricity, and none have worked at commercial scale.

To manage the water-intensive process, E3 said all process-affected water its generates from systems would be recycled back to the storage tank, with the company not needing to source any water from the environment to make the lithium products.

The study also showed E3 Lithium would only use 10% land compared to a hard-rock mine.

The all-in average operational expenditure, including sustaining and abandonment capital, over the life of the project is projected at $8,250/tonne of lithium hydroxide monohydrate.

https://www.mining.com/web/e3-expects-c ... 32250-t-y/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 10 octobre 2021 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 5#p2328265

Lilac Solutions releases lithium extraction data amid rising competition

Reuters | June 25, 2024

Lilac Solutions said on Tuesday the latest version of its lithium extraction technology can recover more than 90% of the lithium found in many brine formations, and that it has cut the construction cost of its system by 50%.


The release of the long-awaited data on Lilac’s process for recovering lithium – a key component in electric vehicle batteries that is abundant but can be hard to process – is aimed at rebutting claims its technology is inefficient and uneconomical as it works to woo clients across the globe.

Oakland, California-based Lilac, which was founded in 2016 and counts BMW and Breakthrough Energy Ventures as investors, has long been reticent to release data related to its version of a direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology.

Despite growing interest in the DLE sector from Exxon Mobil, Saudi Aramco and others, no DLE technology has worked at commercial scale without the use of traditional evaporation ponds.

Lilac on Tuesday released a 24-page white paper on the fourth generation of its technology, which uses ion exchange ceramic beads to attract lithium in batch cycles – akin to a laundry machine – after which a water-and-acid mixture is used to wash off the metal.

The data release comes as Lilac and its rivals – including International Battery Metals, EnergyX, Sunresin and others – are heavily marketing their DLE technologies to potential customers across the globe.

EnergyX to build lithium plant in US ‘Ark-La-Tex’ region

“Our technology works and I want to show that,” Raef Sully, who became Lilac’s CEO in February, said on the sidelines of the Fastmarkets Lithium Supply and Battery Raw Materials Conference, one of the world’s largest gatherings of lithium producers.

“We’re trying to close that gap between rumor and perception and be like, ‘Hey, here we are. Here’s the data.'”

A short seller in July 2022 attacked Lilac partner Lake Resources for relying on what it called “Lilac’s yet-to-be-proven technology.”

The short seller alleged that Lilac’s beads only work for 150 cycles, making the technology uneconomical. Lilac at the time said the short seller’s report was “inaccurate”, but did not release hard data to refute it.

On Tuesday, the company said that the latest version of its technology works for 4,000 cycles, and can reduce water usage with the use of recycling equipment, Sully said.

Lilac plans to use the latest version of its DLE technology at Utah’s Great Salt Lake, where a pilot plant should be online by October, Sully said. Lilac is also eyeing lithium projects in Arkansas, South America and Europe, he added.

The company’s rivals have also been touting their own DLE data, including Koch Engineered Solutions, which has been testing its technology in Arkansas with partner Standard Lithium that it says has an average lithium recovery rate of 95.9% at certain conditions.

“We’re trying to change the narrative and show this whole ‘phantom DLE’ thing is no longer phantom,” said Garrett Krall, head of Koch’s lithium business. “We now are ready to guarantee our (DLE) process in any brine resource around the world.”

https://www.mining.com/web/lilac-soluti ... mpetition/

[energy_isere]

Tesla signe pour 3 ans d'approvisionnement en Carbonate de Lithium avec le Chinois Yahua, qui fait suite à un contrat de livraison pour la période actuelle.

Tesla, Yahua Agree to Three Year Lithium Carbonate Supply Deal

by Eleanor Laurence - Content Producer, The Assay June 26 2024

Yahua Industrial Group has secured a new order from Tesla for its supply of lithium carbonate, an essential raw material for the production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Under the purchase agreement, China’s Yahua, through its subsidiary Yahua Lithium Ya’an, will supply an unspecified amount of lithium carbonate to Tesla between 2025 and 2027, with the option to extend by an additional year.

Additionally, the price of lithium carbonate will be determined in accordance with the method agreed upon by the two parties.

Currently, there is a signed contract for Yahua to supply 63,000 to 88,000t of lithium hydroxide to Tesla from 2021-2025, with a total value of US$880M. In August last year, the contract was extended by 7.5 years for a larger supply of 207,000 to 301,000t.

By the end of 2023, Yahua had already provided US$799M of lithium products to the US carmaker, according to the group’s annual trading report.

Sichuan-based Yahua, which mainly manufactures and sells industrial explosives, is heavily involved in the EV battery space and is one of the first in the China to produce lithium hydroxide. It currently has established partnerships with Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd., the largest battery maker in the world, as well as South Korea’s LG and SK On.

The group also has investments in multiple lithium mining projects around the globe, led by the Kamativi mine in Zimbabwe, which has already begun outputting the battery material and is expected to reach full production this year.

Yahua has offtake agreements with lithium miners including Vancouver-based Sigma and Australia’s Pilbara Minerals.

https://www.theassay.com/articles/featu ... pply-deal/

[energy_isere]

Quatre projets de mines de Lithium vont commencer à produire effectivement en 2024 en Argentine :

Argentina is about to unleash a wave of lithium in a global glut

Bloomberg News | June 28, 2024

For all the money that’s poured into Argentina’s giant lithium deposits, the country has seen just one new mine come on stream in almost a decade. That’s about to change.

Four new projects will finally begin to churn out lithium in the weeks and months ahead, according to a yet-to-be released federal government time-line seen by Bloomberg News. That will almost double production capacity in Argentina, whose growth potential has long lured the attention of battery makers around the world.

The projects — built on salt lakes nestled in the Andes mountains in South America’s so-called lithium triangle — are a boon for new President Javier Milei, who desperately needs more export dollars to lift currency controls that are stifling Argentina’s crisis-prone economy.

Yet for global lithium markets, the extra production comes at a time when buyers are already well supplied, with inventories piling up amid the gloomy outlook for electric vehicle demand. Spot prices of lithium carbonate in China have slid to the lowest since August 2021.

Despite a flurry of prospecting and development, only three operations in Argentina currently export lithium. That’s still enough to have established the country as a major producer behind Australia, neighboring Chile and China. Of the three, only one is a newcomer — Minera Exar, which is majority owned by Ganfeng Lithium Group Co.

Now, Argentina is taking a genuine leap, with four new projects ready to begin full-scale operations and ramp up annual capacity by 79% to the equivalent of 202,000 metric tons, according to a Bloomberg breakdown of the unreleased government data.

The first of the new projects will be Eramet SA and Tsingshan Holding Group Co.’s Centenario Ratones, which is scheduled to hold an inauguration event next week, a Mining Department spokesperson confirmed. The others are: Posco Holdings Inc.’s Sal de Oro; Zijin Mining Group Co.’s Tres Quebradas; and Ganfeng’s Mariana.

While the new capacity won’t all be used straight away, it nevertheless represents a significant overhang in a market in which global production is estimated by Bloomberg Intelligence to total 1.4 million tons this year.

Rio Tinto Group is also aiming to have a 3,000-ton starter plant ready by the end of the year at its Salar del Rincon project, according to a presentation delivered by Santiago Cicchetti, Rio Tinto’s external affairs manager in Argentina, at a conference in Buenos Aires this week.

The June 26-27 conference was a hive of activity attended by top producers, prospectors, technology providers and provinces that have a big say over if and how natural resources in their territory get unearthed.

So far in Argentina, the lithium industry has centered on the provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca. But La Rioja, just to the south, is now making a push to tempt prospectors, Walter Gomez, president of provincial mining outfit Emse, said in an interview. La Rioja passed a controversial law last year allowing it to rescind mining acreage from any owners it deems to be land speculators uninterested in exploration.

The conference took place against the backdrop of much-awaited federal approval for Milei’s sweeping reforms, including a program of tax, currency and customs benefits for industrial investments that will benefit lithium developers.

https://www.mining.com/web/argentina-is ... obal-glut/

[energy_isere]

En Argentine, Eramet démarre sa première mine de lithium... et industrialise l'extraction directe

Eramet démarre, mercredi 3 juillet, sa première mine de lithium développée avec le chinois Tsingshan au nord de l’Argentine. L’opération, qui témoigne de la montée en puissance du champion minier français dans les métaux de batterie, se base sur une nouvelle technologie prometteuse : l’extraction directe de lithium.

Nathan Mann 03 juillet 2024


La mine et l'usine de lithium de Centenario Ratones, en Argentine, inaugurées mercredi 3 juillet.

C’est depuis le nord de l’Argentine qu’Eramet rejoint la course au lithium. Plus de 10 ans après avoir découvert le gisement du salar de Centenario-Ratones, situé à près de 4000 mètres d’altitude dans la province andine de Salta, le champion minier et métallurgique français y inaugure mercredi 3 juillet son premier complexe industriel de production de lithium de qualité batterie. Développée par Eramines, une coentreprise que le chinois Tsingshan possède à 49,9%, l’usine est une première à plusieurs titres.

500 000 véhicules électriques
Pour Eramet d’abord, «c’est le premier projet qui vise les métaux de la transition énergétique», rappelle à l’Usine Nouvelle Simon Henochsberg, nouveau directeur de la stratégie de l’entreprise, qui produit aujourd’hui des métaux d’alliage d’acier, tels le nickel et le manganèse. Pour le Vieux continent ensuite, ce projet fait d’Eramet «la première entreprise européenne à extraire et produire du lithium de qualité batterie», continue le cadre du groupe minier. La capacité de production de l’usine, qui doit démarrer en novembre et arriver à pleine puissance mi-2025, atteint 24000 tonnes de carbonate de lithium, la composition chimique privilégiée dans les batteries.

De quoi produire de l’ordre de 500000 véhicules électriques et l’équivalent de 2% du métal blanc extrait dans le monde en 2024 et de 0.5% du marché en 2030, qui dépassera alors les 4 millions de tonnes d’équivalent lithium carbonate (une unité que le marché désigne par l’acronyme LCE) selon les projections du cabinet Benchmark Minerals.

Industrialiser l’extraction directe du lithium
....abonnés

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/e ... e.N2215430

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 17 mars 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 3#p2388223

Liontown Resources gets $250m investment from LG Energy for Kathleen Valley project
Located in Western Australia, the Kathleen Valley project is anticipated to produce its first lithium spodumene by the end of this month

Staff Writer 2nd Jul 2024


Liontown Resources and LG Energy Solution extend their offtake deal for lithium spodumene supply from the Kathleen Valley project. (Credit: Liontown Resources Ltd)

Liontown Resources has secured an investment of $250m from LG Energy Solution to support the production ramp-up of the former’s Kathleen Valley project in Australia.

The parties have also agreed on a long-term partnership to secure lithium supply chain and exploring future growth opportunities.

In this regard, Liontown Resources and LG Energy Solution have entered into a convertible note subscription agreement.

They have also agreed to extend their offtake agreement for lithium spodumene supply from the Kathleen Valley project by an additional 10 years.

The parties had originally signed a 5-year offtake agreement in June 2022 under which Liontown Resources is to procure up to 150,000 dry metric tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate, starting from this year.

The extended agreement will now enable supply of 700kt of spodumene concentrate over the first five years and 1,500kt of the resource over years six to 15.

Liontown Resources chairman Tim Goyder said: “Liontown is very pleased to formalise this strategic partnership with LG Energy Solution, one of the world’s leading battery producers, marking a significant milestone in our journey towards becoming a globally significant supplier of battery minerals as the world transitions to a low-carbon future.

“This partnership and investment is consistent with our downstream refining strategy to capture the value of vertical integration and deliver substantial value to our shareholders and key stakeholders over the long term.”

Currently, the Kathleen Valley project in Western Australia is expected to produce its first lithium spodumene by the end of this month.

Apart from the extended offtake agreement, Liontown Resources and LG Energy Solution will enter into a downstream collaboration to assess the feasibility of constructing a lithium refinery. The lithium facility is planned to be used for processing Kathleen Valley’s spodumene into battery-grade lithium chemicals.

LG Energy Solution CEO David Kim said: “The agreement represents another significant step in our value chain investment strategy aimed at enhancing its resilience to market uncertainties.

“By partnering with strong players like Liontown, we will continue to secure stable supply of IRA-compliant critical minerals, fulfilling our efforts to provide competitive power solutions for electrification.”

In late 2023, Liontown Resources obtained a financing commitment of around A$1.14bn ($758m) to fully fund the Kathleen Valley lithium project to first production and beyond.

https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/l ... &cf-closed

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 22 aout 2021 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 9#p2325079

Pure Energy gets approvals for plant construction at Clayton Valley lithium project

Staff Writer | July 3, 2024


Clayton Valley lithium project in Nevada. Image: Pure Energy Minerals.

Pure Energy Minerals (TSXV: PE) has partnered with American oilfield service company SLB (NYSE: SLB) to sustainably develop at scale lithium claims held by Pure Energy at its Clayton Valley lithium project in Nevada.

The Vancouver-based miner is exploring and developing the 9,450-hectare Clayton Valley project, the largest mineral land holdings in the area, which adjoins and surrounds on three sides the Silver Peak lithium brine mine operated by Albemarle.

The company also said it has received final permits from government agencies for the construction and operation of the demonstration plant, completion of plant construction and commencement of technical trials, which are ongoing.

SLB has deployed a demonstration plant onsite to test an integrated approach that combines subsurface expertise and surface engineering of advanced technologies, including direct lithium extraction (DLE) at the project, located in Esmeralda county.

The sustainable lithium production demonstration plant is five kilometers southeast of the town of Silver Peak, on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Pure Energy holds 950 BLM mineral claims in the Clayton Valley area.

The project received all necessary permits from the State of Nevada and the Nevada Division of Water Resources for the demonstration plant construction and water discharge in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Construction was largely completed by Q3 of 2023.

“SLB’s demonstration plant represents a significant step toward sustainable lithium brine production at scale,” Pure Energy Minerals CEO Joseph Mullin said in a news release.

“The ongoing technical trials at the facility give us increased confidence that SLB’s integrated approach is the future for lithium brine extraction in Clayton Valley and elsewhere,” Mullin added.

https://www.mining.com/pure-energy-mine ... m-project/

[energy_isere]

BASF abandonne un projet d'investissement dans le Lithium au Chili :

BASF pulls plug on Chile investment plans amid EV slowdown

Bloomberg News | July 2, 2024

German chemicals maker BASF SE has abandoned plans to invest in lithium mining assets in Chile as a slowdown in electric-vehicle adoption worldwide drags down battery metal prices.

BASF withdrew from initial talks with Wealth Minerals Ltd., the Vancouver-based firm that has exploration projects in Chile, the German company said in an email to Bloomberg late Tuesday. Wealth shares slumped as much as 31% on Wednesday, the biggest intraday decline in three years.
....................................

https://www.mining.com/web/basf-pulls-p ... hium-rout/

[energy_isere]

À Échassières, le projet de construction de mine de lithium reconnu d’intérêt national majeur

7 juillet 2024

Nouvelle étape pour Emili. Ce dimanche 7 juillet, un décret publié au Journal officiel a inscrit le projet de construction d’une mine de lithium à Échassières, dans l’Allier, comme “projet d’intérêt national majeur”.

Échassières, petite commune de 370 habitants située dans l'Allier, est connue des randonneurs pour son sentier de GR qui traverse le village, ainsi que son château et son viaduc, classés aux monuments historiques. Mais elle fait ces derniers mois l’actualité pour une toute autre raison : le projet d’ouverture d’une mine de lithium, destinée à la fabrication de batteries électriques “made in France”. Un chantier d’envergure, puisque le projet, dénommé Emili et porté par Imerys, permettrait d’assurer dès 2028 la production du lithium nécessaire à la fabrication des batteries de 700 000 véhicules durant 25 ans, ainsi que le rapporte le journal Le Monde. "Le plus important projet minier en métropole depuis plus d’un demi-siècle", décrit Imerys.

Alors qu’un débat public, portant notamment sur les impacts environnementaux et socioéconomiques du projet, est organisé jusqu’à la fin du mois de juillet, Emili figure désormais dans la liste des “projets d’intérêt national majeur”, ainsi qu’en témoigne le décret publié ce dimanche 7 juillet dans le Journal officiel. Un inscription qui devrait permettre au projet de bénéficier “de mesures d’accélération ou de dérogations administratives”, précise le quotidien.

Un projet qui fait débat

Outre la création “de 500 emplois direct et 1000 emplois indirects”, l’ouverture de la mine de lithium d’Echassières permettrait à la France de réduire sa dépendance aux importations de ce métal depuis la Chine - qui produit actuellement près de 75% de toutes les batteries au lithium du monde, selon des chiffres partagés par Europe 1 en 2022.

Mais comme le rapportait Le Monde dans un autre article publié quelques mois plus tôt, Emili préoccupe également une partie de la population dans la région, qui s’inquiète des éventuels dégâts environnementaux sur le territoire. Plusieurs associations locales, comme “France Nature Environnement Allier”, “Stop mines 03” ou le collectif “Préservons la forêt des Colettes”, milite contre sa construction.

https://actu.orange.fr/france/a-echassi ... elPBn.html

[energy_isere]

Lancement d'une petite unité pilote d'extraction directe de Lithium de saumures en Alberta.

LithiumBank launches DLE pilot plant in Calgary, Alberta
The plant will process 10,000 litres of lithium-enriched brines daily, making it one of the largest direct lithium extraction (DLE) plants in North America.

July 11, 2024

Canada’s LithiumBank Resources has announced the opening of its pilot plant in Calgary in an effort to harness Alberta’s extensive lithium reserves.

The opening of the plant is expected to play an important role in the feasibility stage of the company’s growth strategy as it progresses towards commercial exploitation.

The company noted that Alberta is recognised for its vast lithium deposits, present in the formation waters within oil and gas fields.

LithiumBank will use DLE technology from G2L Greenview Resources.

The technology is claimed to offer environmental and economic advantages over conventional lithium brine extraction methods.

This pilot project’s objectives include achieving critical performance metrics, emphasising lithium recovery, selectivity, flow rate and concentrate quality.

The outcomes are expected to validate the commercial potential and scalability of LithiumBank’s distinctive amalgamation of resource, process and design.

LithiumBank’s new facility is set to process 10,000 litres per day of lithium-enriched brines, positioning it among the largest DLE pilot plants in North America.

The Alberta Provincial Government has expressed support for the initiative, underscoring the region’s commitment to the advancement of lithium production.

Designed to simulate around 1:5,000 of the scale of future commercial production modules, the pilot programme is scheduled to continue for up to 18 months.

LithiumBank executive chairman Paul Matysek said: “Licensing of our pilot plant is a large step forward and a major milestone for our company.

“We believe the successful application of our DLE technology could be instrumental for potentially jump-starting a new resource industry in the province.

“We look forward to testing brines from the large, inferred lithium resources found at our Boardwalk and Park Place properties.”

https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... t/?cf-view

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 19 mars 2023 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 6#p2365136

India’s Jammu and Kashmir lithium block gets no bids in second attempt

Reuters | July 3, 2024

India’s federally administered region of Jammu and Kashmir did not receive any bids in a second attempt to auction mining rights for lithium reserves found last year, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.


The government in February 2023 found its first lithium deposits in Jammu and Kashmir with estimated reserves of 5.9 million metric tons.

After it failed to get a required minimum of three bids in its first auctions in November, the block was again put up for auction in March with a May 14 deadline for bids.

The source, who declined to be identified as they were not authorized to talk to the media, said the block was likely to be given to a government agency for further exploration after no bids were made.

India’s Ministry of Mines did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

As electric vehicles have focused on the need for lithium, used in making batteries, India has sought to secure assets overseas as well as domestically.

Analysts have however questioned the composition of the deposit in Jammu and Kashmir.

https://www.mining.com/web/indias-jammu ... d-attempt/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 16 juin 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 0#p2392920

coup de théâtre sur le projet :

Serbian top court clears path for Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium project

Staff Writer | July 11, 2024

The Serbian Constitutional Court said in a ruling on Thursday that the government’s decision in 2022 to revoke Rio Tinto’s spatial plan permit for the Jadar lithium mine project was unconstitutional.


Belgrade revoked licences for the Australian miner’s $2.4 billion lithium project in western Serbia in January 2022 after massive protests by environmental groups over the proposed mine.

Between 2021 and 2022, Serbian environmentalists collected 30,000 signatures in a petition demanding that parliament enact legislation to halt lithium exploration in the country.

“The government overstepped the limits of its competence by adopting the regulation in a manner that is not in accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution and the provisions of the Law on Government and the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment,” Serbia’s top court ruled.

Green activists have repeatedly warned that the mining projects will cause more pollution in Serbia, already one of Europe’s most polluted countries.

On Thursday, several hundred protesters gathered in front of the Constitutional Court building to demand a halt to the lithium exploration saying it is harmful to the environment.

If completed, the Jadar project would be Europe’s biggest lithium mine, with a production of 58,000 tonnes of refined battery-grade lithium carbonate per year, enough to power one million electric vehicles and supply 90% of the continent’s current lithium needs.

Jadar would also propel Rio Tinto onto the world’s top 10 lithium producers podium.

“Rio Tinto welcomes the decision of the Constitutional Court in Serbia,” the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

“We continue to believe the Jadar project has the potential to be a world-class lithium-borates asset that could act as a catalyst for the development of other industries and thousands of jobs for the current and future generations in Serbia.”

Shares of Rio Tinto rose 0.5% by 12:10 p.m. EDT. The miner has a market capitalization of $110 billion.

https://www.mining.com/serbian-court-sa ... itutional/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 25 fev 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 7#p2386457

Zinnwald lithium project in Germany now 2nd largest in EU
Cecilia Jamasmie | February 21, 2024

https://www.mining.com/subscribe-login/?id=1140044

Zinnwald Lithium plc, the European focused lithium company developing the integrated Zinnwald Lithium Project (the 'Project') in Germany, is pleased to provide an operational update on recent activities. This follows the updated Mineral Resource Estimate ('MRE') published in June 2024 (see RNS dated 6 June 2024), which established the Project as the second largest hard rock lithium project in the EU and the third largest in Europe.


HIGHLIGHTS

· Updated MRE provides potential for a project of significant scale through a phased development approach with an initial phase 1 production of 16,000-18,000 tonnes per annum ("tpa") of battery grade (99.5%) LiOH - c. 50% increase on production of c. 12,000 tpa in the 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment ('PEA').

· A Pre-Feasibility Study ('PFS') to be completed to optimise the enlarged Project, to evaluate the potential for a second phase and to ensure that its impact on the environment and local communities is minimised and technical testwork and trade-offs fully examined.

· Permitting timeline not anticipated to be impacted.

· Applying to be formally designated as a strategic project under the European Union's Critical Raw Materials Act ('CRMA') - larger project scope improves prospects.

· Strong expressions of support from Federal and State Governments in Germany with invitation to formally apply for federal grant funding strongly supported by the State of Saxony.

· Well financed with a current cash position of €9.3m.

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DETAILS

Zinnwald Lithium continues to make significant progress in the development of its integrated lithium hydroxide ('LiOH') project in Germany.

On 6 June 2024, the Company published an updated independent MRE for the Project, which establishes it as the second largest hard rock lithium project in the EU, the third largest in Europe.

The updated MRE also underlines the scale and strategic nature of the Project, having showed a 445% increase in tonnes and a 243% increase in contained lithium to 429kt in the Measured and Indicated category versus the previous 2018 MRE. This includes 36.3 Mt grading 2,500 ppm Li (0.53% Li2O) in the Measured category, 193.5 Mt grading 2,220ppm Li (0.478% Li2O) in the Measured and Indicated ('M&I') category, and 33.3 Mt grading 2,140 ppm Li (0.461% Li2O) in the Inferred category.

The increase in overall tonnage resulted from the completion of the 26,911 metres of new drilling over 84 holes and the incorporation of a broad zone of mineralised granite not previously forming part of the historic MRE.

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