In what was a relatively quiet year for lithium, the industry remains one of anticipation, with both supply and demand set to expand throughout the rest of the decade.
While significant demand for the electric vehicle (EV) sector is yet to emerge, the market for non-vehicle batteries has been robust.
A report by Chile-based consultancy SignumBOX forecast that lithium demand would rise 15.5% in 2011 to 120,000 tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) driven by the consumption of batteries for portable electronic equipment.
Robust demand allowed the major producers to hike prices; Chemetall, the lithium-producing arm of Rockwood Holdings, announced in June that it would raise lithium carbonate prices by 20%, bringing the market back to pre-recession levels.
The group also hiked prices of lithium hydroxide, lithium chloride...