The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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DOD invests $2.5 million from the 2024 Defense Appropriations Act for research and development. Talon Metals Corp. is being awarded a $2.47 million research and development contract from the Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) through its wholly owned subsidiary Talon Nickel (USA) LLC, to support new approaches for extracting nickel, cobalt, and iron from domestic sulfide ores and tailings. DLA will provide the funding over a 15-month period for Talon to... Full story
Receives 10-year federal permit to expand upon deposits within the famed Idaho Cobalt Belt. With a federal 10-year exploration permit in its pocket, Electra Battery Materials Corp. has the flexibility and time to thoroughly evaluate its Idaho Cobalt Belt properties, which host some of the only potential primary sources of cobalt outside the Democratic Republic of Congo. So far, Electra has outlined 4.5 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 0.19% (18.4 million pou...
The U.S. export bank debt financing will help fund a plant in Ohio that will produce graphite needed for lithium-ion batteries. To help support the establishment of a domestic mine-to-EVs graphite supply chain, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has invited Graphite One Inc. to apply for a $325 million loan to build its planned advanced anode material (AAM) processing plant in Ohio. "Based on the preliminary information submitted regarding expected U.S.... Full story
Automaker to invest $625 million for 38% JV interest in Lithium America's Thacker Pass. To help ensure that it has a reliable and Inflation Reduction Act-compliant source of the lithium needed for its growing line of electric vehicles, General Motors has agreed to invest an additional $625 million to acquire a 38% joint venture interest in Lithium Americas Corp.'s Thacker Pass mine and processing plant in northern Nevada. "We're pleased with the significant progress Lithium... Full story
With final FEIS from BLM, Nevada lithium mine is 30 days away from completion of federal permitting process. With the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's issuance of a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Rhyolite Ridge mine project about 150 miles southeast of Reno, Nevada, Ioneer Ltd. takes another large step toward its goal of producing enough lithium for nearly 370,000 electric vehicles per year by 2028. As the namesake ingredient in the batteries powering EVs...
Unique nickel mineralization at Baptiste offers an opportunity to significantly expand North America's battery material supply chain. FPX Nickel Corp. is investigating the potential of building a refinery that could make British Columbia a major source of low-carbon nickel needed for stainless steel and lithium-ion batteries. Last year, the company published results from a pre-feasibility study that outlined the economic and engineering parameters for a mine at its Baptiste...
In a Fastmarkets interview, Nevada's Surge Battery Metals chairman discusses the need for transparency. Slackening growth in electric vehicle sales and an oversupply in China's battery capacity are weighing on demand for battery metals. While lithium, cobalt and nickel remain in oversupply, the response from producers cutting output will influence the long term, especially by slowing and halting the promise of U.S. lithium production. Demand will continue to increase over the... Full story
Benchmark forecasts that $1.6 trillion for minerals, battery materials, gigafactories, and recycling will be required by 2040. As the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) accelerates the buildout of lithium battery gigafactory capacity in the United States, battery supply chain experts at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimate that at least $1.6 trillion of investment into the battery supply chain is needed to meet demand by 2040 – almost triple the $571 billion estimated to meet d... Full story
A few investors have been buying up cobalt amid battery metal slump. While sustainable domestic mines like Jervois Idaho Cobalt Operations in the U.S. fight to stick to opening targets and investors struggle with problematic environmental and social costs of battery metals from overseas, a glut of overproduced cobalt has driven prices down, and savvy investors are buying up physical material for when demand surges or geopolitical issues come to a head. Anchorage Capital...
Export-Import Bank of the United States invites USSM to apply for a $400 million loan to develop critical minerals mining, processing, and recycling hub in Missouri. In what is shaping up to be a major boost to its mission to provide the United States with sustainable sources of metals critical to the energy transition, U.S. Strategic Metals (USSM) has been invited to apply for a $400 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) to fund the development... Full story
Silicon Valley-based EV manufacturer to buy anode material from G1's coming graphite plant in Ohio. Toward its goal of creating sustainable mobility with cars that make the best possible use of the world's resources, California-based Lucid Motors has entered into an agreement to buy domestically produced graphite for the batteries powering its electric vehicles from a processing and recycling plant to be built by Graphite One Inc. in Ohio. "We are committed to accelerating... Full story
Syrah makes large natural graphite sale to Indonesia, steps closer to developing a battery anode global supply chain outside of China. Syrah Resources has delivered a 10,000 metric ton shipment of natural graphite fines from its flagship Balama graphite operation in Mozambique to BTR New Energy Materials in Indonesia, its first large volume natural graphite sale to a battery supply chain participant outside of China. This sale follows an initial trial container shipment to...
Recent studies pay off with major improvements in charging times and conductivity in solid-state lithium-sulfur battery technology. A flurry of scientific advances from Australia to California in recent months could soon propel lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries into direct competition with their lithium-ion cousins. Researchers at the University of Adelaide, Tianjin University in China, and the Australian Synchrotron recently reported results of a study that suggests the next...
German, US scientists work to commercialize energy storage systems designed to offset fluctuations in renewable power production. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany are developing a high-temperature heat storage system that employs liquid-metal technology to enhance the use of renewable energy sources. Highly conductive liquid metals can be heated to more than 700 degrees Celsius (1,290 degrees Fahrenheit) using green electricity to flexibly...
Canadian locals leery of U.S. military investment in Lomiko Metals graphite project in Quebec. Initially, when Lomiko Metals Inc., a mining company based in Surrey, British Columbia announced plans to build a graphite mine in Quebec's Laurentides region, there were fears regarding potential environmental harm, especially to nearby lakes, but objections increased after locals found out the Pentagon was also involved in the project. In May, Lomiko Metals received a grant of...
Steady demand and Cyclone Megan supply disruptions are giving the metal market its day. The recent uptick in manganese prices resulting from Tropical Cyclone Megan causing significant damage to South32's Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO) manganese mine in Australia has prompted Jupiter Mines to release an update on the manganese market landscape, preempting its usual quarterly update. "We are expecting manganese prices to be higher than the historical average for the... Full story
Increasing responsible sourcing demand puts a spotlight on mining sector. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a term that describes the subsistence mining sector, where locals work independently using low-tech methods of manual extraction, physical labor, and basic tools. Many rural communities are historically reliant on artisanal mining for their livelihoods. However, that same history also involves poor working conditions, human rights violations, predatory land...
Auto manufacturers take sides on the question facing the industry – are deep sea resources necessary to compete in the global EV race? A proposal to limit the use of minerals pulled from the seabed has been making its rounds in boardrooms from Tesla to GM, asking big names in the electric vehicle game to commit to a moratorium on minerals sourced from the deep sea. It lost in a landslide, with 78% of Tesla shareholders voting against the proposal and 6% in favor. While c... Full story
Returns to a Yukon property with the same advantageous nickel mineral as is found at its Baptiste project in B.C. FPX Nickel Corp.'s search for a unique mineral that offers a cleaner source of the nickel that is in high demand due to its use in lithium-ion batteries has led the company back to Canada's Yukon. FPX is best known for its work at Baptiste, an advance-staged exploration project in central British Columbia that shows the potential of being a significant future... Full story
Secures former critical minerals stockpile site to build graphite processing and battery materials recycling plant. Graphite One Inc. plans to transform a former national defense critical minerals stockpile site in Ohio into a domestic source of the graphite anode material going into the lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles and storing renewable energy. "Graphite One is delighted to announce that, subject to financing, we will be building our advanced graphite... Full story
International Battery Metals and US Magnesium agree to install world's first modular DLE plant. This May, International Battery Metals (IBAT) and US Magnesium announced their partnership to install a first-of-its-kind modular direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant that can rapidly be deployed to a site and efficiently extract lithium from a variety of brine resources. The portable, modular design provides both a smaller footprint and scalability. The mobile facility is...
Volfpack selects HydroGraph graphene for supercapacitors in its hybrid renewable energy storage systems. HydroGraph Clean Power Inc.'s flagship graphene product will soon be a key ingredient in Volfpack Energy Ltd.'s hybrid battery system, which was engineered to help store solar energy and stabilize power grids in Asia. Keeping power grids fed with stable solar is challenging. The best-known and most widely understood of these dilemmas is storing enough energy during the day... Full story
BLM completes draft EIS for Rhyolite Ridge, closing in on final federal permitting decision for energy transition metals mine. Marking a major milestone on the path toward a domestic supply of lithium for nearly 370,000 electric vehicles per year, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has finalized a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for developing a mine at Ioneer Ltd.'s Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Nevada. "This news sets a clear path forward to...
Long-term partnership will secure battery-grade lithium hydroxide for automaker and accelerate both companies' expansion into EV space. This week, Albemarle announced a long-term partnership with BMW to deliver battery-grade lithium hydroxide for the automaker's next generation of high-performance electric vehicles and to work together to develop technology for safer and more energy-dense batteries. "Albemarle is committed to building a more resilient world," said Albemarle...
Invests in Nouveau Monde Graphite and locks up 85% of the zero-carbon lithium-ion battery anode material to be made in Canada by NMG. General Motors and Panasonic Energy have entered into a deal with Canada-based Nouveau Monde Graphite (NMG) for a supply of low-carbon graphite anode material produced in North America for the lithium-ion batteries powering their electric vehicles. As part of a larger deal that spurred a total of $87.5 million in new investment and sent NMG...