Stories impacting the global battery industry

September 2020

NEW EU ALLIANCE AIMS FOR ‘STRATEGIC AUTONOMY’ ON KEY RAW MATERIALS
www.euractiv.com

The European Commission launched a new industry alliance on Tuesday (30 September) aimed at strengthening the EU’s “strategic autonomy” on raw materials like rare earths, which are considered key for the bloc’s green and digital transitions.



TESLA TO ROLL OUT CHINA-MADE MODEL 3 CARS WITH COBALT-FREE LFP BATTERIES
uk.reuters.com

U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc TSLA.O is poised to start selling some Model 3 vehicles made in China equipped with cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, two people familiar with the matter said.



CHINA'S SVOLT TO SUPPLY COBALT-FREE EV BATTERIES TO GREAT WALL
www.reuters.com

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery maker SVOLT Energy Technology will supply a new, cobalt-free battery to carmaker Great Wall Motor next year, its president told Reuters on Monday. The battery will use around 75% nickel, 25% manganese and a minor percentage of other metals to boost performance. It differs from current mainstream nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) batteries, nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries or lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.



BATTERY MAKER NORTHVOLT RAISES $600 MILLION IN PRIVATE PLACEMENT
www.reuters.com

Swedish lithium-ion battery maker Northvolt is raising $600 million in fresh equity through a private placement with Volkswagen, Baillie Gifford, Goldman Sachs and Spotify founder Daniel Ek among the investors, it said on Tuesday.



TIANQI LITHIUM WARNS OF $1.9 BLN DEFAULT AS LOAN REPAYMENT DATE NEARS
www.nasdaq.com

China's Tianqi Lithium Corp said on Tuesday it may not be able to make a $1.88 billion repayment on a loan taken out to buy a stake in Chilean miner Sociedad Minera y Quimica de Chile SQMA.SN (SQM) in 2018 as the due date fast approaches.



TESLA TO BUILD LITHIUM HYDROXIDE REFINERY IN TEXAS TO FEED TERAFACTORY; FIRST AUTOMAKER TO ENTER LITHIUM
www.benchmarkminerals.com

Tesla will build a lithium hydroxide chemical plant in Texas in what is the first move by an automotive company into lithium chemical production, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence can confirm. The EV maker will build a spodumene conversion facility adjacent to the Terafactory / Gigafactory 5 in Austin, Texas in what has a typically aggressive start up target of Q4 2022. This adds to Tesla’s plans to build a cathode facility in Texas in what Elon Musk describes as “part of our cell production plan”.



TESLA LOOKING TO ACQUIRE STAKE IN LG
m.koreatimes.co.kr

Tesla is looking to acquire a stake in LG Energy Solution, soon to be separated by LG Chem, to procure a stable supply of batteries, bank sector sources told The Korea Times, Monday. LG Chem, a key battery supplier to Tesla and General Motors, said earlier its decision to spin off its battery business in December was based on its judgment that this is the "right time" to do so, as the battery industry is growing rapidly and structural profits in the electric vehicle (EV) battery sector are being made.



AUSTRALIA'S PIEDMONT SIGNS LITHIUM ORE SUPPLY DEAL WITH TESLA
www.reuters.com

Piedmont Lithium PLL.AX on Monday said it signed a five-year deal with Tesla Inc TSLA.O to supply high-purity lithium ore mineral to the U.S. electric carmaker, prompting an 83% surge in the Australian lithium miner's shares. The initial five-year agreement implies that Piedmont will supply about a third of its planned 160,000-tonnes-per-year spodumene concentrate produce from its deposits in North Carolina. Both companies have an option to extend the deal for another five years.



TWO KEY NUMBERS THAT MAKE BATTERY STORAGE BETTER BET THAN GAS PEAKERS
reneweconomy.com.au

It finds that the spread (the difference in the cost of charging and discharging) has grown from around $130 a megawatt hour in 2018, to around $288/MWh in 2020. On top of this, the capital cost of battery storage has fallen well below the capital costs for Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs, or peaking plants), and its “fuel cost” – the price at which it charges, or buys electricity – is now trending down towards just $10/MWh. That is significantly below gas peaks. So batteries are winning on capital costs and operating costs.



INDIA PLANS $4.6 BILLION IN INCENTIVES FOR BATTERY MAKERS IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE PUSH
uk.reuters.com

India plans to offer $4.6 billion (3.6 billion pounds) in incentives to companies setting up advanced battery manufacturing facilities as it seeks to promote the use of electric vehicles and cut down its dependence on oil, according to a government proposal seen by Reuters.



CALIFORNIA MOVES TO BAN SALE OF ALL PETROL AND DIESEL VEHICLES BY 2035
thedriven.io

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order directing the state to ban the sale of all internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2035 in a move which is expected to “drastically” reduce demand for fossil fuels in California.



CHINA WANTS TO BE CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2060. IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?
www.bloomberg.com

President Xi Jinping’s surprise announcement that China plans to go carbon-neutral by 2060 has left many questions, none more important than: “How?” China is the world’s largest energy user and greenhouse gas emitter, mines and burns half the world’s coal, and is the top importer of oil and natural gas. Transitioning that economic behemoth to carbon-neutrality within a few decades could cost $5.5 trillion, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co estimates, and require the deployment of technologies that are barely in use today.



TRADE AND LONGER USE OF EV BATTERIES WILL CAUSE DELAYS IN END-OF-LIFE VOLUMES
circularenergystorage.com

What we have found is a market where batteries are in use much longer than what previously has been anticipated, at least when forecasts have been made on future volumes of end-of-life batteries. In our latest update we predict that in 2030 less than 300,000 tonnes, or 58 GWh, of lithium-ion batteries will reach end of life in Europe of which 25 GWh will come from light duty EVs. In the US less than 170,000 tonnes or 41 GWh will reach end of life. Of this a significant amount will be reused before it will be recycled.



ALMOST 90% OF NEW GERMAN SOLAR INSTALLATIONS WERE COMBINED WITH A HOME STORAGE SYSTEM LAST YEAR
www.pv-magazine.com

The close relationship with solar rooftops is illustrated by the fact almost 90% of new solar installations last year were combined with a home storage system, according to the market researchers, who said the 65,000 batteries installed last year included retrofits to earlier solar rooftops.



SOUTH KOREA'S HYUNDAI MOTOR, LG CHEM CONSIDERING EV BATTERY JV IN INDONESIA
www.reuters.com

Hyundai Motor Group and LG Chem Ltd 051910.KS are considering establishing an electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing joint venture in Indonesia, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.



TESLA’S MUSK REAFFIRMS EV MAKER’S BULLISH DELIVERIES FORECAST
www.bloomberg.com

Tesla Inc. expects to see deliveries grow on the order of 30% to 40% this year, reaffirming its forecast at a time when automakers are struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk told shareholders.



CHINA'S GANFENG TO BE LARGEST LITHIUM HYDROXIDE PRODUCER
about.bnef.com

Ganfeng Lithium announced an agreement with Jiangxi Special Electric Motor (Jiangte) to take over the operations and management of three lithium chemical converter plants from October 2020 to March 2023. Before this deal, BloombergNEF ranked Ganfeng as the second largest hydroxide producer, after Albemarle. Adding the capacity leased from Jiangte, Ganfeng will become the largest lithium hydroxide producer globally this year.



STANDARD LITHIUM COMMENCES OPERATIONS AT FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND DIRECT LITHIUM EXTRACTION PLANT IN ARKANSAS
www.standardlithium.com

Standard Lithium Ltd., an innovative technology and lithium project development company, marks the commencement of operations at the company’s LiSTR Direct Lithium Extraction facility, with a virtual ribbon cutting event and video tour that includes a walk-through of the plant and extraction technology.



INDONESIA SAYS LG CHEM, CATL SIGN DEAL FOR LITHIUM BATTERY PLANT
auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Taking advantage of the nation's large nickel output from which battery chemicals can be extracted, Indonesia has set a 2024 target to start producing lithium batteries, Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said.



LG CHEM TO SPIN OFF BATTERY UNIT AMID RISING EV DEMAND
asia.nikkei.com

The South Korean company said on Thursday that its board had approved the plan for a new subsidiary, tentatively named LG Energy Solution. The decision is subject to shareholder approval at a general meeting scheduled for Oct. 30.



CATL TO INVEST IN NEO LITHIUM, HELP DEVELOP ARGENTINA MINE
www.mining.com

China’s CATL will buy more than 10 million shares of Neo Lithium Corp to become the company’s third-largest shareholder, the latest in a string of investments by Chinese companies into South American lithium projects.



CHINA DOMINATES THE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY SUPPLY CHAIN, BUT EUROPE IS ON THE RISE
about.bnef.com

China dominates BloombergNEF’s lithium-ion battery supply chain ranking in 2020, having quickly surpassed Japan and Korea that were leaders for the majority of the previous decade. China’s success results from its large domestic battery demand, 72GWh, and control of 80% of the world’s raw material refining, 77% of the world’s cell capacity and 60% of the world’s component manufacturing, according to data from BNEF.



ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGE NETWORK CHARGEPOINT NEARS DEAL TO GO PUBLIC
www.reuters.com

ChargePoint Inc, one of the world’s oldest and largest electric vehicle charging networks, is nearing a deal to go public through a reverse merger with Switchback Energy Acquisition Corp, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.



END OF COMBUSTION ENGINE MOVES CLOSER WITH EU CLIMATE PLAN
www.bloomberg.com

The European Union’s executive will unveil an ambitious emissions-cut plan this week that’ll leave no sector of the economy untouched, forcing wholesale lifestyle changes and stricter standards for industries. Under a new climate target for 2030, European automakers would need to embrace tougher pollution standards, with new rules that could retire combustion engines to science museums. Energy will grow increasingly cleaner, with an additional 350 billion euros ($415 billion) per year required for investment in production and infrastructure.



BATTERY METALS BLOW: BHP NICKEL PLANT A YEAR BEHIND SCHEDULE
www.afr.com

The BHP Nickel West plant had been due to start producing nickel sulphate in the first half of calendar 2020 and construction was largely complete more than a year ago. The mining giant's annual report, released on Tuesday, reveals the plant is still under construction and that the timetable for first production has blown out to the first half of calendar 2021.



CHINA'S ENVISION EYES FRANCE FOR NEW EV BATTERY FACTORY
www.reuters.com

Chinese renewable energy group Envision is looking to build a battery factory in France to supply the growing electric vehicle market, French newspaper Journal du Dimanche (JDD) said on Sunday.



SOUTH AUSTRALIA WANTS TO USE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS MOBILE BATTERIES AND “#SOLAR SPONGE”
thedriven.io

The South Australia state government says it is working on an Electric Vehicle Action Plan that will look at how to make both electric vehicles and electricity more affordable, and find ways to use EV charging as a “solar sponge” to soak up excess solar production.



WHY 5-MINUTE SETTLEMENT WILL MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE TO BATTERY STORAGE
ow.ly

@renew_economy: Why 5-minute settlement will make such a difference to battery storage



LITHIUM GIANT ALBEMARLE LOCKS HORNS WITH CHILE OVER RESERVES DATA
www.reuters.com

Albemarle, the world’s largest lithium producer, is locked in a feud with Chilean regulators over how it calculates its reserves of the ultralight metal, a potential risk to its plans to ramp up production.



VW BELIEVES IT CAN CATCH UP TO TESLA WITH 1.5 MILLION EV CAPACITY BY 2023 ‘OR SOONER’
electrek.co

VW believes that it can catch up to Tesla where it matters when it comes to electric vehicles: mass production capacity. The head of VW’s worker union believes that they can achieve a production capacity of 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2023 ‘or sooner’.



IN A BUMMER YEAR FOR AUTO SALES, EVS ARE OUTPERFORMING
www.bloomberg.com

And then there’s Europe - or at least its 16 major markets, not including Moldova, Lichtenstein, etc. It had both the largest fall in internal combustion sales (down almost 56% year on year) and a similarly humongous increase in EV sales (up more than 45%).



ELECTRIC CAR REGISTRATIONS CLIMB TO RECORD HIGH IN GERMANY, PLUG-INS AT 13.2%
thedriven.io

The share of new electric vehicle registrations in Germany reached a new record in August. The number of new purely electric vehicles (BEV) rose 220 percent from last year, to 16,076 vehicles. Their total share is now 6.4 percent, the country’s Federal Motor Transport Authority KBA said in a press release. Overall, new car registrations dropped 20 percent to 251,044. Forty-seven percent of these were petrol cars, and around 28 percent had a diesel engine.



JAPAN TO OFFER INCENTIVES TO COMPANIES SHIFTING BASE FROM CHINA
economictimes.indiatimes.com

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has added India and Bangladesh to the list of relocation destinations for companies which shift their manufacturing sites from China to ASEAN countries. By expanding the scope of the subsidy programme, Japan aims to reduce its dependence on a particular region and to build a system which is able to provide a stable supply of medical materials and electronic components even in an emergency, reports Nikkei.



STRIVING FOR GREEN RECOVERY, EU ADDS LITHIUM TO CRITICAL MATERIALS LIST
www.reuters.com

The European Commission added battery element lithium to its critical raw materials list on Thursday and set out a plan to guarantee their supply to support a green recovery. Lithium was highlighted by the Commission as essential for a shift to environmentally-friendly transport and energy storage. These fields mean Europe would need up to 18 times more lithium by 2030 and 60 times more by 2050, Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said in a statement.



TWO BATTERY METALS PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD
www.aumanufacturing.com.au

Two battery metals initiatives have reported progress as Australian resources companies continue two develop initiatives towards a mine to factory lithium ion battery supply chain. FYI Resources has progressed plans to upgrade ores into high purity alumina (HPA, Al2O3), while Pure Minerals will start its nickel-cobalt pilot plant later this year.



ITS ELECTRIC GRID UNDER STRAIN, CALIFORNIA TURNS TO BATTERIES
www.nytimes.com

When demand exceeded supply in a recent heat wave, electricity stored at businesses and even homes was called into service. With proper management, batteries could have made up for an offline gas plant.



TIANQI LITHIUM FACES LARGE DEBT REPAYMENTS AS REVENUES FALL
www.caixinglobal.com

Debt-ridden Tianqi Lithium will have to pay some 13.6 billion yuan ($2 billion) in debt – equal to one third of its total assets – to China Citic Bank by November this year, according to its interim report filed to Shanghai Stock Exchange on Monday. The payment is part of a $3.5 billion loan borrowed in 2018 for the high-profile acquisition of a 25.86% stake in Chilean mining company Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile. Tianqi’s large loan repayment debt contrasts with its earnings from the Chilean enterprise of just 129 million yuan in the first six months of the year.



VW-BACKED BATTERY MAKER QUANTUMSCAPE TO GO PUBLIC AT $3.3 BILLION VALUATION
www.reuters.com

QuantumScape, the 10-year-old Silicon Valley battery startup backed by Volkswagen AG, said on Thursday it plans to go public through a reverse merger with Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp KCAC.N with an enterprise value of $3.3 billion. an Jose-based QuantumScape, a 2010 spinout from Stanford University, said it will form a joint venture with VW to produce solid-state battery cells, starting in 2024, for the German automaker’s electric vehicles, and eventually for other carmakers.



TESLA TESTS THE CIRCUITS FOR GERMAN ENERGY MARKET PUSH
www.reuters.com

Musk’s Tesla has recently acquired a licence that will enable the carmaker to trade electricity across western Europe and the company has also been surveying customers in Germany about potentially using Tesla electricity in their cars. Such moves, consultants and energy industry executives say, could set the stage for the company - possibly with one or more partners - to take on established utilities in Germany, Europe’s biggest power market and autos heartland.



EU TO LAUNCH RAW MATERIALS INDUSTRY ALLIANCE
www.euractiv.com

The European Commission will announce the launch of a new industry alliance this week, with a view to building a complete EU supply chain for raw materials like lithium, which are seen as critical for the bloc’s digital and green transitions.



from the ASX...
AGY: 500KG HIGH PURITY LI2CO3 DELIVERED TO JAPANESE CUSTOMER
September 17th, 2020

Product sample testing forms the basis and is required for supplier qualification process, and potential Stage 2 off-take arrangements. Further validation of the Company’s exclusive and proprietary environmentally clean chemical process technology. Japanese battery cathode market targeted by Argosy for potential larger off-take arrangements.

link to asx announcements for AGY


AVZ: AVZ TO INCREASE EQUITY STAKE IN MANONO PROJECT TO 75%
September 21st, 2020

AVZ secures rights to an additional 10% equity in Manono Project for US$15.5M. AVZ to own 75% of Manono Project on completion of transaction. Ongoing discussions to acquire additional equity in Manono Project. Potential increase in share of Project NPV from US$1,409M to US$1,761M (Pre Tax) and up from US$616M to US$771M (Post Tax) based on 75% project interest.

link to asx announcements for AVZ


CXO: MINERAL RESOURCE EXPANSION DRILLING RECOMMENCES AT FINNISS
September 30th, 2020

Resource expansion drilling has re-commenced at Gore’s Finniss Lithium Project; Drilling targeting open extensions of the Grants and BP33 orebodies; First diamond drill rig has arrived and has commenced drilling operations; Second diamond rig to arrive in the coming week; Drilling is targeting further increases to Gore’s Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and focused on the potential to further increase Life of Mine at the Finniss Lithium Project.

link to asx announcements for CXO


EGR: ECOGRAF SECURES WA GOVERNMENT SUPPORT WITH 6.7HA SITE
September 28th, 2020

EcoGraf (Australia) Limited is pleased to announce it has executed an agreement with the Western Australian Land Authority (DevelopmentWA) over a 6.7ha site in the highly sought-after Kwinana-Rockingham Industrial Area, located 30km’s south of Perth.

link to asx announcements for EGR


EMH: APPOINTMENT OF LEADING GLOBAL ENGINEER
September 23rd, 2020

European Metals Holdings Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of SMS group Process Technologies GmbH as the lead engineer for the minerals processing and lithium battery-grade chemicals production at the Cinovec Project.

link to asx announcements for EMH


ESS: DRILLING AT THE SINCLAIR CAESIUM DEPOSIT COMMENCES
September 1st, 2020

A mineralised corridor has been modelled using existing high grade caesium drill intersections which confirm mineralisation extends up to 80m from the northern open pit wall of the Sinclair Caesium Mine. The drill programme will target a total length of 120m as well as aim to infill and widen the mineralised zones around the existing drill intersections. A separate pegmatite, PEGOO7, that lies approximately 1km north of the Sinclair Caesium Deposit has also been identified as a target for caesium and will be drill tested in this programme.

link to asx announcements for ESS


ESS: DOME NORTH LITHIUM PROJECT - RESOURCE UPGRADE
September 29th, 2020

Contained lithia (Li2O) in the Mineral Resource has increased substantially by 33% from 102,000 tonnes to 136,000 tonnes. 51% of the contained Li2O is classified as an Indicated Mineral Resource — 5.4Mt @ 1.3% Li2O from the Cade Deposit. The Mineral Resource now includes three mineralised pegmatites; Cade, Heller and Davy, located within 2km of each other. The Dome North Project is located <10km from key infrastructure, including a major highway and gas and water pipelines. It is approximately 275km from the Esperance bulk and container Seaport. Metallurgical test work on the Cade Deposit is well advanced with results expected in the second half of October. Extensional drilling immediately north of the Sinclair Caesium Mine is complete with assays expected to take 4 to 6 weeks. Drilling in one of three zones tested intersected visual crystalline pollucite.

link to asx announcements for ESS


EUR: PLACEMENT AND KEY STRATEGIC BOARD APPOINTMENT
September 2nd, 2020

As part of the Company’s strategic engagement with Talaxis, a global leader in EV technology metals project development, EUR has appointed Mr Kimon Gkomozias as Executive Director. Kimon will drive the Company’s financing efforts and identification of strategic development partners for the Company’s Wolfsberg Lithium Project in Austria. As part of the appointment, Company intends to complete a placement of AUD$2m at 30.045 with a l for 4 Option ($0.05, 31 July 2022).

link to asx announcements for EUR


EUR: EUR COMPLETES CAPITAL RAISING
September 22nd, 2020

$2.1M in funds received by way of a share placement (Placement); Strongly supported by quality Institutional and Strategic Shareholders; Key development activities to be funded by the capital raising include: Progression of the Definitive Feasibility Study for the Wolfsberg Lithium Project; Metallurgical test work to confirm end-products for key customers and markets; Progression of permitting and approvals required to begin construction; Advance discussions with offtake and financing partners; Redeem 500 outstanding Winance notes.

link to asx announcements for EUR


INR: IONEER REITERATES COMMITMENT TO PROJECT TIMELINE
September 3rd, 2020

ioneer Ltd, an emerging lithium-boron supplier, reiterates its previously stated timeline for its Rhyolite Ridge Lithium—Boron Project in Nevada, as it aims to be permitted and ready to begin construction as early as Q2 2021.

link to asx announcements for INR


LIT: LITHIUM AUSTRALIA SHARE PURCHASE PLAN RAISES $4.5 MILLION
September 9th, 2020

Share Purchase Plan raises $4.5 million. Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd (‘Envirostream’) business plan accelerated. Outstanding balance on convertible note from the Lind Macro Fund LP (‘Lind’) to be repaid.

link to asx announcements for LIT


LKE: ADVANCED IN PRODUCING BATTERY QUALITY LITHIUM CARBONATE
September 15th, 2020

Independent assay laboratory, Hazen, expected to produce initial larger samples of battery-quality lithium carbonate within 15-18 days. Hazen is conducting a thorough analysis to optimize the process for a superior product and is in the bulk precipitation phase at present. Significant step towards independent verification of quality of Lake’s responsibly sourced, high-purity lithium, amid growing demand.

link to asx announcements for LKE


MLL: VOLUNTARY SUSPENSION
September 7th, 2020

The Company requested a two-day trading halt be placed on its securities on 3 September 2020 pending an announcement regarding a capital raising. The Capital raising is currently being finalised and requests its securities be placed in a voluntary trading suspension until the capital raising is complete and an announcement made to the market in this regard.

link to asx announcements for MLL


MNS: TRADING HALT
September 2nd, 2020

Magnis Energy Technologies Ltd requests that an immediate trading halt be granted by the Australian Securities Exchange with respect tn its ordinary shares. The trading halt is requested for the purpose of considering, planning and executing a capital raising.

link to asx announcements for MNS


MNS: SHARE PLACEMENT RAISES $7.65 MILLION
September 4th, 2020

$7.65 million capital raising, co-led by Aitken Murray Capital Partners and Foster Stockbroking, to new local and overseas institutional investors, new sophisticated investors and existing shareholders. Magnis Executive Director James Dack subscribes for $0.5 million. Funds to be used to progress battery manufacturing and technology programs.

link to asx announcements for MNS


MNS: MAJOR SUCCESS IN FAST CHARGING BATTERY PROGRAM
September 11th, 2020

Following the ongoing success of Extra Fast Charging [EEC] results using unoptimised cells, for the next phase of Original Equipment Manufacturer [0EM] qualification, battery cells optimised for very fast charge will be used. Over 1000 charges have been conducted to date with capacity maintaining strength above 80%. EFC allows 85% charge in 6 minutes. A 12—month demonstration program funded by NYSERDA, which includes BAE Systems and Consolidated Edison on EFC batteries in Electric Buses begins. Major interest shown by overseas 0EM’s.

link to asx announcements for MNS


ORE: COMPLETION OF SHARE PURCHASE PLAN
September 25th, 2020

Orocobre Limited is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Share Purchase Plan (SPP), which closed at 5.00pm (AEST) on 22 September 2020. The SPP was open to 10,742 Eligible Shareholders. The Company received applications from 2,469 Eligible Shareholders representing a participation rate of 23% and an average application amount of approximately AS17,000.

link to asx announcements for ORE


PLL: PIEDMONT LITHIUM SIGNS SALES AGREEMENT WITH TESLA
September 28th, 2020

Piedmont enters into binding sales agreement to supply spodumene concentrate to Tesla; Five-year fixed-price binding agreement with optional five-year extension; Agreement confirms the strategic nature of Piedmont’s unique American spodumene deposit; Discussions are ongoing with respect to other lithium and by-product sales arrangements.

link to asx announcements for PLL


PLS: FINANCIAL CLOSE FOR NEW LOW COST DEBT FACILITY
September 15th, 2020

Formal Agreements for the US$110M senior secured debt facility now executed with both BNP Paribas and Australia’s specialist clean energy investor, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. All conditions precedent for financial close and drawdown have been satisfied. Redemption notice to be issued to the Bond Trustee to redeem the outstanding balance of the Nordic Bonds. Draw-down of the new US$110M senior secured debt facility and repayment of the Nordic Bonds anticipated by 30 September. Agreements executed also include the renewal of the US$15M Working Capital Facility with BNP Paribas.

link to asx announcements for PLS


PLS: COMPLETION OF REFINANCING
September 29th, 2020

Further to its announcement of 15 September 2020, Australian spodumene and tantalum producer, Pilbara Minerals Limited is pleased to announce that it has now completed the drawdown of the new senior secured US$110M Finance Facility (Finance Facility). The Finance Facility is provided by leading international bank, BNP Paribas and Australia’s specialist clean energy investor, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

link to asx announcements for PLS


RNU: PLACEMENT RAISING $3.6M TO ADVANCE GRAPHITE & GOLD PROJECTS
September 18th, 2020

Firm commitments received by Renascor Resources Limited for a Placement to raise $3.6 million to fund work streams for Renascor’s: Siviour Battery Anode Material Project — containing the world’s second largest reported Proven Reserve of graphite on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia; and Carnding Gold Project - drill-ready, high-grade, near-surface gold prospects in emerging gold province in Central Gawler Craton, South Australia.

link to asx announcements for RNU


RNU: MOU WITH ONE OF CHINA'S LARGEST BATTERY MATERIAL SUPPLIER
September 29th, 2020

Renascor enters into non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chinese anode company Shanxi Minguang New Material Technology Co. Ltd. (Minguang New Material), a subsidiary of Fujian Metallurgical Holding Co. Ltd. (Fujian Metallurgical). Fujian Metallurgical is a large, Chinese state-owned enterprise with 142 subsidiaries (including 3 listed companies), more than 38,000 employees and total assets of approximately A$17 billion. Fujian Metallurgical’s holdings include a controlling ownership interest in XTC New Energy Materials Co. Ltd., China’s largest battery cathode producer, and Minguang New Material, which is developing a 40,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) battery anode manufacturing facility in China’s Shanxi Province. The MOU covers the purchase of up to 10,000tpa of Purified Spherical Graphite (PSG) over a ten year term, which represents approximately one-third of the projected initial PSG production capacity of Renascor’s planned Battery Anode Material operation in South Australia. Under the terms of the MOU, Minguang New Material and Renascor have agreed to work together to undertake additional product validation tests prior to concluding a formal binding agreement. China continues to be the dominant market for PSG. Chinese anode production capacity currently represents around 85% of global capacity, and over 90% of capacity under construction. Renascor is concurrently discussing additional potential PSG offtake agreements and undertaking PSG validation with other anode companies in China and elsewhere in Northeast Asia and battery manufacturers in Northeast Asia and Europe, with a view to securing binding commitments for its planned 28,000tpa PSG operation.

link to asx announcements for RNU


SYA: QUEBEC EYES MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR LITHIUM INVESTMENTS
September 1st, 2020

Nemaska Lithium restructuring announced in C$6OO million (AUD$624m) deal seen as ‘first piece of the puzzle’ in Québec lithium sector’s revival. Québec economy minister flags battery-making push could require more than C$7 billion of investment. Following Nemaska Lithium deal, monitor further extends bid deadline for North American Lithium to end September, with Sayona confident of delivering successful turnaround.

link to asx announcements for SYA


SYA: PLACEMENT TO U.S. BATTERY METALS INVESTOR BOOSTS EXPANSION
September 7th, 2020

Placement agreed with Battery Metals Capital Group, LLC, raising up to US$2 million (AUD$2.73m); additional US$6m available at Sayona’s sole request. Funds to support Company’s growth plans, including Authier Lithium Project, Tansim project and Pilbara lithium/gold portfolio in Western Australia and other potential opportunities, including bid for North American Lithium (NAL) amid accelerating EV revolution.

link to asx announcements for SYA


TLG: TALGA BOOSTS GRAPHITE RESOURCES
September 17th, 2020

Battery anode and graphene company Talga Resources Ltd is pleased to announce significant increases in the Company’s natural graphite mineral resources within its wholly-owned Vittangi Graphite Project in northern Sweden.

link to asx announcements for TLG


VUL: FORMER TESLA DIRECTOR JOINS ZERO CARBON LITHIUM TEAM
September 25th, 2020

Ex-Tesla Director for Central Europe. Launched Models S, 3, X and Roadster in the region. Ten years’ experience at Tesla, ex-direct report to Elon Musk. Ex-Automobili Pininfarina Chief Sales Officer; launched Electric Hyper-car. Experience in the auto industry with BMW, Kia and Porsche. Will assist Business Development team at Vulcan with exploring Zero Carbon Lithium offtake and strategic partnerships in the electric vehicle and battery sector in Europe.

link to asx announcements for VUL


from Twitter...



















































































UK EV sales gain market share in Aug 2020 - nearly 10%...
twitter.com

@RodneyHooper13: UK EV sales gain market share in Aug 2020 - nearly 10% (9.7%) versus a year to date 8.2%. Total auto sales recovering. The Netherlands also climbing (16%), Germany (13%) and France (10.5%). The VW ID.3 launches this month and Tesla exports rising. Expect a record Sept in Europe.



For years we thought Europe wouldn't get into battery manufacturing...
twitter.com

@JamesTFrith: For years we thought Europe wouldn't get into battery manufacturing... and then they did. Then we thoughts they would never have a foothold in the raw material supply chain... looks like that is about to change too



...expected to result in the ability to generate near-firm wind and solar at low costs...
twitter.com

Continued decline in battery costs are expected to result in the ability to generate near-firm wind and solar at low costs even after tax credits phase down.



Weak market conditions are having a significant impact on the profitability...
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@Roskill_Info: Weak market conditions are having a significant impact on the profitability of several major spodumene producers. With Roskill forecasting spodumene prices to remain subdued for the next 12-18 months, many producers look set to remain under pressure.



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