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Century lithium","21st-century-lithium","article/21st-century-lithium",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":560,"content":570,"excerpt":1186,"featured":50,"reporter":1187,"_editable":1191,"component":1192,"seo_title":553,"categories":1193,"visibility":1200,"author_company":49,"featured_image":1201,"seo_description":1186,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":1206,"formattedArticleDate":1207},"89e64516-f5c2-4102-a8b0-35180bc6e46c","2017-07-26 00:00",[],[561],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":564},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":565,"image":566,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":567},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":571,"content":572},"doc",[573,580,585,592,597,602,607,612,615,620,625,630,635,642,647,652,657,662,667,672,677,682,687,692,697,702,707,712,715,720,726,731,736,741,746,751,756,761,766,771,777,782,787,792,797,800,805,810,815,820,825,830,835,841,846,851,856,861,866,871,874,879,885,890,895,900,905,910,915,920,925,930,935,941,946,951,956,961,966,971,976,981,986,992,997,1002,1007,1012,1017,1023,1028,1033,1038,1043,1048,1054,1059,1064,1069,1074,1079,1084,1089,1094,1099,1104,1109,1114,1119,1124,1129,1134,1140,1143,1148,1153,1158,1163,1168,1173,1178],{"type":574,"attrs":575,"content":576},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[577],{"text":578,"type":579},"Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s Simon Moores sat down with Patrick Highsmith, CEO of Pure Energy Minerals, to discuss how Tesla and China have shaped his seven years in the industry, and the plans to bring US lithium production into the 21st Century.","text",{"type":574,"attrs":581,"content":582},{"textAlign":49},[583],{"text":584,"type":579},"Simon Moores: You have been active in the lithium industry for some time now, firstly with Lithium One and now with Pure Energy Minerals. What industry changes have you seen in this time? ",{"type":574,"attrs":586,"content":587},{"textAlign":49},[588,590],{"text":589,"type":579},"Patrick Highsmith:",{"text":591,"type":579}," That’s true. It definitely makes me feel old to be one of the grizzled veterans of the first lithium boom from 2009 to 2012. Prior to that I had worked in traditional metals in exploration, operations, and business development for companies of all sizes.",{"type":574,"attrs":593,"content":594},{"textAlign":49},[595],{"text":596,"type":579},"However, something immediately attracted me about lithium. Perhaps it was its unique chemical characteristics or the freshness of geology. We certainly knew at the time that we were very early movers into the space.",{"type":574,"attrs":598,"content":599},{"textAlign":49},[600],{"text":601,"type":579},"When we were putting Lithium One together and commencing work on the James Bay pegmatite project in Quebec, we were simultaneously reading and doing research on lithium brine deposits.",{"type":574,"attrs":603,"content":604},{"textAlign":49},[605],{"text":606,"type":579},"That’s because negotiations were already underway on our first acquisition at Salar del Hombre Muerto. This would become the Sal de Vida Lithium Brine Project. Paul Matysek and I are both geochemists, so there was a certain comfort on our team with the aqueous geochemistry of these liquid mineral deposits. Broadly speaking, however, there was not a lot of knowledge.",{"type":574,"attrs":608,"content":609},{"textAlign":49},[610],{"text":611,"type":579},"Today, as we market Pure Energy Minerals or speak at conferences, we generally encounter a much higher level of knowledge. There is legitimate passion for this idea of where lithium comes from.",{"type":574,"attrs":613,"content":614},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":616,"content":617},{"textAlign":49},[618],{"text":619,"type":579},"Of course, that makes sense when we consider how the lithium ion battery business has blossomed since that time. When we launched Lithium One, the global lithium battery business generated well under $10 billion in sales.",{"type":574,"attrs":621,"content":622},{"textAlign":49},[623],{"text":624,"type":579},"Today it has grown to more than $25 billion in sales. While the production of lithium has expanded, sales of lithium still only amounts to about $1.6 billion. It’s this multiplier effect that I love about the resource industries. The value of what we pull out of the ground is just the beginning.",{"type":574,"attrs":626,"content":627},{"textAlign":49},[628],{"text":629,"type":579},"As a fast growing lithium industry feeds a much bigger battery business, even bigger industries and movements are built on top of that – as we are seeing with electric vehicles. Exciting stuff and these are changes that we can see.",{"type":574,"attrs":631,"content":632},{"textAlign":49},[633],{"text":634,"type":579},"SM: How does running a development project in Argentina differ from Pure Energy Minerals’ project in Nevada? ",{"type":574,"attrs":636,"content":637},{"textAlign":49},[638,640],{"text":639,"type":579},"PH:",{"text":641,"type":579}," Again, you’ve touched on something I love about our business. What we do is truly global. We simply have to go where the minerals are, and that means that sometimes our cash and our efforts are invested in challenging jurisdictions.",{"type":574,"attrs":643,"content":644},{"textAlign":49},[645],{"text":646,"type":579},"As far as mainstream lithium brine, our choices aren’t that difficult: Chile, Argentina, or the US. Very often we just don’t get that choice if we want to develop gold, copper, or oil deposits.",{"type":574,"attrs":648,"content":649},{"textAlign":49},[650],{"text":651,"type":579},"I have worked in about 30 countries, but I’m pleased to say that working lithium in Argentina, Chile, and the US isn’t too difficult by comparison to some of my exploits.",{"type":574,"attrs":653,"content":654},{"textAlign":49},[655],{"text":656,"type":579},"There are certainly tradeoffs and complexities in each, but it is generally quite workable to develop mineral resources in these countries. However, to really answer your question requires a bit more detail.",{"type":574,"attrs":658,"content":659},{"textAlign":49},[660],{"text":661,"type":579},"Argentina is a true Republic. By that I mean, the provinces are diverse. They are diverse in climate and topography of course, but their diversity in industry and people is powerful. This is what really matters to us in the mining industry.",{"type":574,"attrs":663,"content":664},{"textAlign":49},[665],{"text":666,"type":579},"At Lithium One, our project literally straddled the boundary between Catamarca and Salta provinces. Our new Terra Cotta Project is wholly in Salta Province. This is no accident. Salta Province is one of the top jurisdictions in South America for mining investment.",{"type":574,"attrs":668,"content":669},{"textAlign":49},[670],{"text":671,"type":579},"We find that the keys to operate successfully in any jurisdiction are similar. We need empowered local management, local legal and business expertise, and, most importantly, quality local employees from the local communities.",{"type":574,"attrs":673,"content":674},{"textAlign":49},[675],{"text":676,"type":579},"Using that approach in Argentina, things work. The people of Salta, Catamarca, and Jujuy Provinces know how to work in the Puna, the high desert plateau of northern Argentina.",{"type":574,"attrs":678,"content":679},{"textAlign":49},[680],{"text":681,"type":579},"What’s more, the lawyers and contractors in Salta know how to function within their systems as well. It amazes me how smoothly supplies move up to the project. We built a major camp and a pilot plant on the Sal de Vida Project.",{"type":574,"attrs":683,"content":684},{"textAlign":49},[685],{"text":686,"type":579},"The US has one big similarity to Argentina, each of our fifty states also has an identifiable culture and its own way of doing things. That certainly shows in the mining industry. Nevada is rated globally as a favourable jurisdiction by the Fraser Institute because it is vastly different from California or New York or even Montana.",{"type":574,"attrs":688,"content":689},{"textAlign":49},[690],{"text":691,"type":579},"We certainly enjoy world-class infrastructure in Nevada, including paved highways right to our project, cheap power, and a sophisticated work force and regulatory environment. However, Clayton Valley is 3.5 hours from a commercial airport, about the same as our Terra Cotta Project, actually.",{"type":574,"attrs":693,"content":694},{"textAlign":49},[695],{"text":696,"type":579},"So, it’s remote by US standards; and yet, our drillers and other contractors make it feel as though we are close to everything we need. This is Nevada and the western US mining industry.",{"type":574,"attrs":698,"content":699},{"textAlign":49},[700],{"text":701,"type":579},"When it comes to building ties in the community, growing your team, and permitting, there are important similarities between the two jurisdictions. I have spent a lot of time in Carson City, Nevada over the past year because people care about what we are doing.",{"type":574,"attrs":703,"content":704},{"textAlign":49},[705],{"text":706,"type":579},"Water is a passionate issue in Nevada, just as it is in Argentina. Members of the Nevada state assembly and senate have taken interest in the development of lithium resources.",{"type":574,"attrs":708,"content":709},{"textAlign":49},[710],{"text":711,"type":579},"They even came together around the governor’s bill this year and passed a new law to streamline lithium exploration. Similarly, in Salta, the mining secretary of the province is a high profile position. People care.",{"type":574,"attrs":713,"content":714},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":716,"content":717},{"textAlign":49},[718],{"text":719,"type":579},"SM: Nevada is home to the only lithium extraction operation in the US and it is small volume compared to the salars of South America. What is the real potential for Nevada becoming a large supplier of lithium? ",{"type":574,"attrs":721,"content":722},{"textAlign":49},[723,724],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":725,"type":579}," As you point out, the Silver Peak Mine is not only the only US lithium producer, but it is also the first lithium brine mine in the world. Production started around 1966. The same thing that makes Clayton Valley attractive for us was no doubt important in why Silver Peak was the first – the chemistry of the brine.",{"type":574,"attrs":727,"content":728},{"textAlign":49},[729],{"text":730,"type":579},"We consistently see our brine hosting relatively low amounts of divalent cations, calcium and magnesium, that can interfere with low cost lithium extraction.",{"type":574,"attrs":732,"content":733},{"textAlign":49},[734],{"text":735,"type":579},"In fact, we just drilled into some deeper brines with some of the lowest magnesium and calcium contents we had ever seen – while the lithium content was much higher than our average resource grade.",{"type":574,"attrs":737,"content":738},{"textAlign":49},[739],{"text":740,"type":579},"This is important stuff, particularly when developing a new lithium production technology as we are. We don’t know how widespread that favourable chemistry is in Nevada because we haven’t seen a lot of numbers from other Nevada brine projects outside Clayton Valley yet.",{"type":574,"attrs":742,"content":743},{"textAlign":49},[744],{"text":745,"type":579},"Another important ingredient in Nevada’s lithium potential is the hydrogeology of the basins. In addition to a lithium source, a favourable climate, and a reservoir, these basins need to be closed, hydrologically isolated, for the lithium brine to accumulate.",{"type":574,"attrs":747,"content":748},{"textAlign":49},[749],{"text":750,"type":579},"Nevada’s geology is dynamic and there has been a lot of recent tectonic activity. Essentially, this means the rocks are broken up and highly disrupted. Many of these basins have major faults that rip through them. Faults are sort of like highways for groundwater. This may mean that brine can drain out of a basin rather than accumulate.",{"type":574,"attrs":752,"content":753},{"textAlign":49},[754],{"text":755,"type":579},"There are also other unique aspects of the Clayton Valley geology that have served to isolate the groundwaters there.",{"type":574,"attrs":757,"content":758},{"textAlign":49},[759],{"text":760,"type":579},"A lot of the rocks surrounding Clayton Valley are metamorphic rather than sedimentary or volcanic. These metamorphic rocks are often less porous and permeable than the usual rocks in this part of the state.",{"type":574,"attrs":762,"content":763},{"textAlign":49},[764],{"text":765,"type":579},"Hence, we believe all basins in Nevada aren’t created equal. Is there potential for more brine development in Nevada? Yes. However, we are focusing on the only productive lithium brine district in the country for good reasons.",{"type":574,"attrs":767,"content":768},{"textAlign":49},[769],{"text":770,"type":579},"SM: You are pursuing new extraction technology to access Clayton Valley’s lithium. Can you explain this process? ",{"type":574,"attrs":772,"content":773},{"textAlign":49},[774,775],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":776,"type":579}," We just published the first Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Clayton Valley Project. The reader should refer to the Company’s news release dated June 26, 2017 for details and cautionary language in regards to the PEA.",{"type":574,"attrs":778,"content":779},{"textAlign":49},[780],{"text":781,"type":579},"The study certainly highlights that the Clayton Valley Project has the potential to be a very valuable project. However, it also reinforces what we have been saying: new technology for lithium brine extraction has the potential to produce battery grade lithium products at low cost compared to the conventional evaporation methods.",{"type":574,"attrs":783,"content":784},{"textAlign":49},[785],{"text":786,"type":579},"We believe the use of real-time lithium recovery technology that operates with higher recoveries and greater environmental sustainability is essential to the future of our business.",{"type":574,"attrs":788,"content":789},{"textAlign":49},[790],{"text":791,"type":579},"Our customers will likely demand it. In our case, we have chosen a solventextraction based process developed by Tenova Advanced Technologies (TAT). The chemistry of Clayton Valley brines is ideal for this because the magnesium and calcium contents are already low.",{"type":574,"attrs":793,"content":794},{"textAlign":49},[795],{"text":796,"type":579},"There is a pre-treatment step to remove these impurities because solvent extraction works best when those interfering elements are not present. The lower lithium concentration in our brine is not problematic because the process achieves a very rapid and effective concentration into the solvent phase.",{"type":574,"attrs":798,"content":799},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":801,"content":802},{"textAlign":49},[803],{"text":804,"type":579},"There are mining fundamentals at work here… upgrade the ore as fast and efficiently as possible such that most of the effort is invested in the most valuable component. It’s called beneficiation, and that’s what the TAT process achieves.",{"type":574,"attrs":806,"content":807},{"textAlign":49},[808],{"text":809,"type":579},"From this concentrated phase, the lithium is easily converted with known electrolysis technology directly to lithium hydroxide. This TAT process should allow us to achieve approximately double the recovery, or yield, from the brine as evaporation does.",{"type":574,"attrs":811,"content":812},{"textAlign":49},[813],{"text":814,"type":579},"The plant runs in real time, so the entire process takes a matter of hours, rather than the months required in evaporation. And, once the lithium is removed from the brine, it can be returned to the basin after a rigorous filtration step to remove any contaminants.",{"type":574,"attrs":816,"content":817},{"textAlign":49},[818],{"text":819,"type":579},"That preserves the balance in the aquifers between saline and fresh water. Nevada is an especially good spot to develop and implement this new technology.",{"type":574,"attrs":821,"content":822},{"textAlign":49},[823],{"text":824,"type":579},"The reason for that is the cost of power is very low, plus a high percentage of the power comes from renewable sources such as geothermal and solar. We also have major cities relatively nearby.",{"type":574,"attrs":826,"content":827},{"textAlign":49},[828],{"text":829,"type":579},"For these and other reasons, the whole team, including our engineering and technology providers, is keen to seize this opportunity to build a first-of-its-kind pilot plant in Silver Peak, Nevada.",{"type":574,"attrs":831,"content":832},{"textAlign":49},[833],{"text":834,"type":579},"SM: Are all lithium brines the same and can lithium be extracted via the same processing methods? For example, can the same carbonate plant in Atacama be used in Nevada or are there nuances?",{"type":574,"attrs":836,"content":837},{"textAlign":49},[838,839],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":840,"type":579}," I am a geochemist by training and I’ve been working on a couple of different salars over most of the last 10 years.",{"type":574,"attrs":842,"content":843},{"textAlign":49},[844],{"text":845,"type":579},"I’m glad to say, my chemistry training has been beneficial. One thing is for sure…all brines are not the same. Clayton Valley has always been known as relatively low in lithium, but also low in magnesium and calcium.",{"type":574,"attrs":847,"content":848},{"textAlign":49},[849],{"text":850,"type":579},"That fact is beneficial for traditional operations or new technologies. In Chile and Argentina, there has been some great creativity applied and the brine operators there have learned a lot about how to get this done… even in the face of high calcium, magnesium, and other complexities.",{"type":574,"attrs":852,"content":853},{"textAlign":49},[854],{"text":855,"type":579},"At Lithium One, we all had the pleasure of working alongside one of the great minds in the design and operation of evaporation plants, Jerome Lukes. He passed away a couple of years ago now, but he taught us many of the tricks of the trade.",{"type":574,"attrs":857,"content":858},{"textAlign":49},[859],{"text":860,"type":579},"I haven’t been to all of them, but I would venture to say that every plant is quite different. Achieving the battery grade step in the lithium process is also not as easy as new entrants to the industry claim. Salars are fluid systems, the brine and its constituents move. Concentrations of elements vary within the same salar.",{"type":574,"attrs":862,"content":863},{"textAlign":49},[864],{"text":865,"type":579},"This means that rigorous test work is required, including a well-conceived piloting programme. What we are advocating at Pure Energy is that we need to do the work to evaluate and test some of these new technologies.",{"type":574,"attrs":867,"content":868},{"textAlign":49},[869],{"text":870,"type":579},"We have seen support and interest from around the world because there are rewards to be reaped if these new technologies can deliver lower cost, increased efficiency, and better environmental performance.",{"type":574,"attrs":872,"content":873},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":875,"content":876},{"textAlign":49},[877],{"text":878,"type":579},"SM: How do you see the brine versus spodumene argument playing out over the next decade? ",{"type":574,"attrs":880,"content":881},{"textAlign":49},[882,883],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":884,"type":579}," I’ve worked on spodumene resources in the past. In fact, I note that Galaxy Resources has finally returned to drilling at the James Bay pegmatite project in Quebec that we discovered with the able management of James McCann.",{"type":574,"attrs":886,"content":887},{"textAlign":49},[888],{"text":889,"type":579},"It is tantalising to see those huge outcrops of white rock with obvious huge crystals of spodumene. Drill delineation is not difficult. Assaying is not particularly challenging. As Galaxy and Neometals have demonstrated, they can move quickly.",{"type":574,"attrs":891,"content":892},{"textAlign":49},[893],{"text":894,"type":579},"We gold guys salivate at the ease with which they open these operations up. Permitting is therefore straightforward, and there have been hungry converters in China needing spodumene feed. So the product has been selling.",{"type":574,"attrs":896,"content":897},{"textAlign":49},[898],{"text":899,"type":579},"The giant and high-grade Greenbushes operation dominated the playing field for many years. It consumed converter capacity and satisfied much of the world’s appetite.",{"type":574,"attrs":901,"content":902},{"textAlign":49},[903],{"text":904,"type":579},"The big moves in price have really opened things up though. With lithium carbonate well over $10,000/tonne, there has been ample motivation to get into the spodumene mining and conversion business. Indeed new mines are actually in production.",{"type":574,"attrs":906,"content":907},{"textAlign":49},[908],{"text":909,"type":579},"There ends the good part of the story in my opinion. This is still a business involving drilling, blasting, crushing, and grinding.",{"type":574,"attrs":911,"content":912},{"textAlign":49},[913],{"text":914,"type":579},"Some of the projects have struggled with dilution because of the deposit geometry or grade-thickness limitations; all of which is typical for open pit mining.",{"type":574,"attrs":916,"content":917},{"textAlign":49},[918],{"text":919,"type":579},"And then there’s the matter of some fairly complex hydrometallurgy when you get the concentrate to its destination. As environmental controls improve in China, these converters won’t be as easy to build or cheap to operate. As with all mining, strip goes up, grade goes down and price pressures will take their toll.",{"type":574,"attrs":921,"content":922},{"textAlign":49},[923],{"text":924,"type":579},"There will be some deposits that justify a captive processing plant. While those may be very expensive to build, they at least give the operator control over his feed-stock. It is my view that spodumene processing to battery grade lithium carbonate or hydroxide by the current technology is contingent on the price environment.",{"type":574,"attrs":926,"content":927},{"textAlign":49},[928],{"text":929,"type":579},"We won’t always see prices this high, and the best pegmatite assets are being or will be mined. There is room for new technology to change the game of course, and I believe it will. That could be very exciting. However, I always like my chances better pumping brine than traditional hard rock mining. I’ve done enough rock crushing in my career.",{"type":574,"attrs":931,"content":932},{"textAlign":49},[933],{"text":934,"type":579},"SM: What are your production plans and what capital do you need to raise? ",{"type":574,"attrs":936,"content":937},{"textAlign":49},[938,939],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":940,"type":579}," We have just published our PEA* which outlines a potential new lithium brine operation. The project would produce approximately 11,000 tonnes each year of lithium hydroxide monohydrate for around 20 years starting in 2021 with a 15-month ramp up period. Some of the key economic indicators of the project include an after-tax NPV at 8% discount rate of $264M, after-tax IRR of 21% and a payback period of 4.4 years.",{"type":574,"attrs":942,"content":943},{"textAlign":49},[944],{"text":945,"type":579},"The estimated capital expenditure (capex) is $297m, and that appears to buy a very efficient and capable plant that should recover 91% of the lithium at a low unit cost.",{"type":574,"attrs":947,"content":948},{"textAlign":49},[949],{"text":950,"type":579},"The completion of a PEA is a milestone for any Canadian junior company, but for us it is even more important. I see this milestone as unleashing us to really tell the story.",{"type":574,"attrs":952,"content":953},{"textAlign":49},[954],{"text":955,"type":579},"The timing of the PEA is even more exciting because of how it synergizes with our changes to the team. We have added two key team members to management. Walter Weinig joined as our new Vice President – Projects and Permitting.",{"type":574,"attrs":957,"content":958},{"textAlign":49},[959],{"text":960,"type":579},"An important responsibility for him at Pure Energy is managing our engineering team. As a professional project manager, he has excelled in that role helping us to finally get this PEA completed.",{"type":574,"attrs":962,"content":963},{"textAlign":49},[964],{"text":965,"type":579},"He’s also an expert hydrogeologist who has been involved in permitting a number of major projects. We have also been transitioning our board of directors. In April, we added Scott Shellhaas to the board.",{"type":574,"attrs":967,"content":968},{"textAlign":49},[969],{"text":970,"type":579},"Scott is a seasoned mining and corporate lawyer, but more importantly, he is the former president of Cyprus Foote Mineral Company, who operated the Silver Peak Lithium Mine in the 1990s.",{"type":574,"attrs":972,"content":973},{"textAlign":49},[974],{"text":975,"type":579},"In May, we generated some more important news in the life of the project and the company. We agreed with our new partners, Lithium X Energy Corp, to acquire their extensive claims in Clayton Valley.",{"type":574,"attrs":977,"content":978},{"textAlign":49},[979],{"text":980,"type":579},"This addition pushed us to more than 26,000 acres of mineral rights, surrounding the Silver Peak mine from the south and north. Lithium X also chose to make a strategic investment with us to further empower us to move the new Clayton Valley Project ahead. Lithium X nominated their CFO, Bassam Moubarak, to serve on our board of directors. Not only do we now control more mineral rights than Albemarle does in Clayton Valley, but we have also added more specific expertise to our board. I believe two things characterise extraordinary success in mining…great teams and tenacity. I am proud to say that we have both at Pure Energy Minerals.",{"type":574,"attrs":982,"content":983},{"textAlign":49},[984],{"text":985,"type":579},"SM: Over the last 18 months lithium prices have spiked and remained high and at 3-4 times traditional levels for lithium carbonate and hydroxide. Why is this? ",{"type":574,"attrs":987,"content":988},{"textAlign":49},[989,990],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":991,"type":579}," Well, you guys are the experts! You tell me. Seriously, there is clearly enough tension between demand and supply to account for the price increases we have seen to date. However, what pleases us most is the response in the battery and EV markets…they both continue to grow and consume lithium unabated.",{"type":574,"attrs":993,"content":994},{"textAlign":49},[995],{"text":996,"type":579},"There will certainly be some substitutions on the margins because of price, but the primary growth markets for lithium demand are clearly absorbing the price increases and moving forward. Even with the new generation of batteries, lithium itself is a small percentage of the cost of the battery.",{"type":574,"attrs":998,"content":999},{"textAlign":49},[1000],{"text":1001,"type":579},"We believe the demand growth is so strong because the reality is being written right before our eyes. Tesla effectively conducted a huge market study on the public’s opinion of mainstream EV’s…and the answer was an astounding 400,000 Model 3 pre-sales in a matter of days.",{"type":574,"attrs":1003,"content":1004},{"textAlign":49},[1005],{"text":1006,"type":579},"The battery makers obviously believe that foreshadowing and the automakers are responding as well. The incumbent lithium producers just weren’t ready for it. Maybe they didn’t believe it themselves, but new production has lagged.",{"type":574,"attrs":1008,"content":1009},{"textAlign":49},[1010],{"text":1011,"type":579},"Call it a perfect storm…lagging supply and surging demand, but now we are playing catch up.",{"type":574,"attrs":1013,"content":1014},{"textAlign":49},[1015],{"text":1016,"type":579},"SM: How do you see the lithium carbonate versus hydroxide argument in the battery space playing out? ",{"type":574,"attrs":1018,"content":1019},{"textAlign":49},[1020,1021],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":1022,"type":579}," Believe it or not, this is something that I don’t really have a strong opinion on. There is no question that the NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum) cathode formulation has come on strong and shown its prowess for energy density and chargedischarge characteristics.",{"type":574,"attrs":1024,"content":1025},{"textAlign":49},[1026],{"text":1027,"type":579},"We hear similar exciting things about the new NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) cathodes. It just so happens that both are making use of lithium hydroxide inputs instead of lithium carbonate.",{"type":574,"attrs":1029,"content":1030},{"textAlign":49},[1031],{"text":1032,"type":579},"In fact, it’s fascinating to chat with the battery guys on this subject, they seem to all have their own proprietary reasons for their preferences. Certainly, technology evolves and things change, but the momentum in this area suggests that lithium hydroxide will be a preferred and high-value product for the foreseeable future.",{"type":574,"attrs":1034,"content":1035},{"textAlign":49},[1036],{"text":1037,"type":579},"We are interested in serving our future customers, and the response so far has been very good to our plans for 100% lithium hydroxide from Clayton Valley. Of course, the technology we are considering can go to a final product of either lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate, so as I said before, we aren’t particularly polarised in our views.",{"type":574,"attrs":1039,"content":1040},{"textAlign":49},[1041],{"text":1042,"type":579},"We’ll be taking our queues from the cathode makers, and right now, they are signalling hard for lithium hydroxide.",{"type":574,"attrs":1044,"content":1045},{"textAlign":49},[1046],{"text":1047,"type":579},"SM: Pure Energy Minerals’ has signed a deal with Tesla. This surprised many people considering Pure Energy was at an earlier stage of development than some lithium companies and is not a producer. What are your thoughts on this? ",{"type":574,"attrs":1049,"content":1050},{"textAlign":49},[1051,1052],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":1053,"type":579}," I can’t say a lot about the motivations of Tesla with regards to our conditional supply agreement. I wasn’t on board at Pure Energy in mid-2015. It was during this time in 2015 when the company was engaged in discussions or negotiations with Tesla that I became involved.",{"type":574,"attrs":1055,"content":1056},{"textAlign":49},[1057],{"text":1058,"type":579},"Since I had negotiated some early stage off-take agreements during my time at Lithium One, Pure Energy asked me to become an advisor to the company. We executed a non-disclosure agreement and I did my best to lend a hand.",{"type":574,"attrs":1060,"content":1061},{"textAlign":49},[1062],{"text":1063,"type":579},"There is a view that the lithium market has not been functioning very effectively in recent years. Hence, end users may look up stream to find opportunities and lower the risk in their supply chain. I tend to believe this is a good thing if it brings two parties together with complementary interests.",{"type":574,"attrs":1065,"content":1066},{"textAlign":49},[1067],{"text":1068,"type":579},"So I can certainly see why a company like Tesla may go shopping for lithium deals, and I can also see how it benefits a junior company to secure almost any sort of potential off-take arrangements…particularly with a high profile group like Tesla.",{"type":574,"attrs":1070,"content":1071},{"textAlign":49},[1072],{"text":1073,"type":579},"When I consider the merits of these early stage relationships between aspiring producers and current or aspiring consumers, I have to say that my view is that the parties should look for some shared values.",{"type":574,"attrs":1075,"content":1076},{"textAlign":49},[1077],{"text":1078,"type":579},"For instance, if a deal is only about price, then it probably doesn’t have long-term value for both parties. The costs of inputs will rise. Substitutes will enter the market, and industries will evolve their supply chains.",{"type":574,"attrs":1080,"content":1081},{"textAlign":49},[1082],{"text":1083,"type":579},"So, it is unlikely that a long term successful relationship will be struck only based on price. SM: What do battery makers look for from raw material suppliers? PH: This is a complicated question and I look forward to learning more about it at Benchmark’s upcoming Cathodes Conference in October.",{"type":574,"attrs":1085,"content":1086},{"textAlign":49},[1087],{"text":1088,"type":579},"I have met with a number of cathode manufacturers as well as companies that assemble the cells during my tenure with two different lithium companies, and I have received some mixed signals.",{"type":574,"attrs":1090,"content":1091},{"textAlign":49},[1092],{"text":1093,"type":579},"Some battery makers seem comfortable that a “just-in-time” approach to their supply chain will serve them well. Others began looking up the supply chain to strike relationships with potential suppliers years ago ostensibly because they were nervous that the market would not serve them well.",{"type":574,"attrs":1095,"content":1096},{"textAlign":49},[1097],{"text":1098,"type":579},"We have learned a few things in the several agreements with which I’ve been involved and from the many meetings we have had on the subject.",{"type":574,"attrs":1100,"content":1101},{"textAlign":49},[1102],{"text":1103,"type":579},"Some of the so-called battery makers are huge companies, and yet, some of the cathode makers fly below the radar. Some appear from the outside at least to be quite secretive.",{"type":574,"attrs":1105,"content":1106},{"textAlign":49},[1107],{"text":1108,"type":579},"We have experienced a healthy degree of skepticism from some of the larger companies, which is understandable of course. In other cases, we have seen genuine enthusiasm and excitement to be involved at the resource development stage.",{"type":574,"attrs":1110,"content":1111},{"textAlign":49},[1112],{"text":1113,"type":579},"So, I don’t think it’s fair to lump the battery makers into one group when speaking about what they look for. I have found most of the battery makers are highly technical, so our discussions tend to focus on the specifications of the product, which of course is appropriate.",{"type":574,"attrs":1115,"content":1116},{"textAlign":49},[1117],{"text":1118,"type":579},"We have seen detailed specifications, usually under confidentiality agreements, from a few different battery makers. While purity of the lithium is important, it is considered a given most of the time.",{"type":574,"attrs":1120,"content":1121},{"textAlign":49},[1122],{"text":1123,"type":579},"Much of the focus today is on the physical properties of lithium. Moisture content, particle size, and even shipping conditions are major topics of conversation. It is a far cry from shipping copper cathode or even doré bars.",{"type":574,"attrs":1125,"content":1126},{"textAlign":49},[1127],{"text":1128,"type":579},"We are reminded once again that this business is about delivering a specialty chemical product to our very specialised customers.",{"type":574,"attrs":1130,"content":1131},{"textAlign":49},[1132],{"text":1133,"type":579},"SM: While Tesla is building the Gigafactory over 65% of new battery capacity is being built in China. Is this energy storage movement just about China or is this a wider global theme? ",{"type":574,"attrs":1135,"content":1136},{"textAlign":49},[1137,1138],{"text":639,"type":579},{"text":1139,"type":579}," Oh, that’s an easy one. This is truly a global phenomenon. You are right to point out that China has taken up the challenge thrown down by Tesla. China is stepping up with an immense amount of battery capacity on the drawing board.",{"type":574,"attrs":1141,"content":1142},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":1144,"content":1145},{"textAlign":49},[1146],{"text":1147,"type":579},"After seeing some of Benchmark’s numbers on your World Tour, I do want to say that I’m proud of some of the Chinese companies for learning the finer points of promotion. Let’s face it, some unbelievable numbers have been thrown out about the capacity of new battery plants in China.",{"type":574,"attrs":1149,"content":1150},{"textAlign":49},[1151],{"text":1152,"type":579},"That’s not to say that China is not kicking into high gear – they are. They will be a dominant force. However, let’s not forget what Tesla has done.",{"type":574,"attrs":1154,"content":1155},{"textAlign":49},[1156],{"text":1157,"type":579},"I think most people would agree that Tesla started this wave by declaring to build beautiful highperformance electric cars in the US. Then they took another huge step: declaring to do what had not been done before, mega-scale battery production including cathode manufacture in the US.",{"type":574,"attrs":1159,"content":1160},{"textAlign":49},[1161],{"text":1162,"type":579},"Let’s look at our recent European stops on the Benchmark World Tour. Europe appears to be awakening. We heard from governments and major corporations about public-private partnerships and corporate initiatives to step up to provide European lithium ion batteries, European electric vehicles, and European lithium for Europeans.",{"type":574,"attrs":1164,"content":1165},{"textAlign":49},[1166],{"text":1167,"type":579},"I think the answer to your question lies with China. Elon Musk threw down the gauntlet, and he doesn’t appear to be resting on his laurels.",{"type":574,"attrs":1169,"content":1170},{"textAlign":49},[1171],{"text":1172,"type":579},"It is not outlandish to expect more challenges to Chinese supremacy in the lithium ion battery world. In the end, we don’t believe China is a closed market. We have been welcomed there in our meetings and we have found",{"type":574,"attrs":1174,"content":1175},{"textAlign":49},[1176],{"text":1177,"type":579},"Chinese business people to be among the most knowledgeable in the world on lithium. Events are moving fast in our world, so I don’t think we will have to wait long to see more changes.",{"type":574,"attrs":1179,"content":1180},{"textAlign":49},[1181],{"text":1182,"type":579,"marks":1183},"NB: The reader is referred to the Pure Energy Minerals website (www.pureenergyminerals.com) and the news release dated June 26, 2017 for additional details and cautionary language regarding that study.",[1184],{"type":1185},"italic","Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s Simon Moores sat down with Patrick Highsmith, CEO of Pure Energy Minerals, to discuss how Tesla and China have shaped his seven years in the industry, and the plans to bring US lithium production into the 21st Century. Simon Moores: You have been active in the lithium industry for some time now, […]",[1188],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":1189},{"job_title":565,"image":1190,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},{"filename":567},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"89e64516-f5c2-4102-a8b0-35180bc6e46c\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[1194,1197],{"slug":1195,"name":1196},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":1198,"name":1199},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals","private",{"id":49,"alt":1202,"name":1202,"focus":1202,"title":1202,"source":1202,"filename":1203,"copyright":1202,"fieldtype":1204,"meta_data":1205,"is_external_url":51},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/dfd55bdb0c/bm-screen-shot-2017-07-26-at-161121.png","asset",{"alt":1202,"title":1202,"source":1202,"copyright":1202},"Jul 26, 2017","26th July 2017",[],[],1792773945700]