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February 2016
26 February 2016
In a recent interview, CORFO vice president Eduardo Bitran speculated about the tendering of lithium brines in the Salar de Atacama to other companies, should SQM lose its rights to the land upon termination of an ongoing arbitration process.
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25 February 2016
Commentators in South America’s second largest economy are predicting a surge of FDI into the country’s lithium industry as the so-called “guerra del litio”, or “lithium war”, kicks off, with investor interest piqued by the opening up of the country under a new, pro-business administration.
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25 February 2016
The Belgian chemicals producer saw its pre-tax income grow 10% y-o-y in 2015, a pattern it expects to continue as Cytec, a US-based manufacturer of chemicals, polymers and additives, is brought onto its books.
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24 February 2016
Canadian bourse struggles with mining slump; companies reorganise businesses to survive.
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24 February 2016
Text of August 2015 deal released; rare earths, antimony trade to benefit and EU to supply lithium to nascent economy.
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24 February 2016
Company allocates $20m to fund lithium project PFS; Serbia more attractive to FDI after legal reform.
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23 February 2016
ICAO bans Li-on cargos on passenger planes; Lithium Australia unveils new process for extracting lithium from spodumene; Panasonic forms Chinese JV for EV manufacture.
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23 February 2016
As space mining companies move closer to making extra-terrestrial mineral extraction a reality, questions of legal ownership are expected to be brought to the fore.
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23 February 2016
The Chinese lithium compound producer has released an official statement, offering explanations for the quality issues alleged by Shanshan and criticising the battery cathode manufacturers’ “lack of respect”.
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22 February 2016
The fallout comes after Chinese battery materials producer Shanshan publicly accused lithium miner Tianqi of supplying it with poor quality material, while at the same time hiking its prices. Tianqi has said that the issues raised by Shanshan have now been resolved and that the buyer has been unprofessional in its business negotiations.
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19 February 2016
Mineral sands miners slash output in effort to support market; chromite prices fall less than expected, while fluorspar rallies slightly; lithium spot prices distorting perception of industry.
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18 February 2016
The lithium major described prices quoted in a widely cited piece by the UK’s Economist newspaper, based on a Chinese data provider, as “bad prices”, emphasising that the spot trade in lithium is largely insignificant. Lithium contributed $509m to the company’s annual revenue in 2015, its first full year in the market following its purchase of Rockwood Lithium.
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17 February 2016
Rio’s early stage jadarite mine in Serbia has the potential to supply 10% of global lithium demand and provide the company with an additional source of borates. A new licencing agreement coupled with extra financing, put the prokect on track for completion of a prefeasibility study in 2017.
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17 February 2016
Scientists at Moscow State University have released a report suggesting it would technically be possible to pluck rare earths, lithium and gold from the surface of the lunar poles, however, the cost of developing the relevant technology coupled with low prices for the minerals and Russia’s economic problems could delay the project from being pursued.
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17 February 2016
Revenues plummeted or the Indian refractories producer in the final quarter of 2015, as output was reduced amid a struggling market for refractories, allowing the company to significantly narrow its net loss.
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16 February 2016
FAA warns carriers of risks of Li-ion batteries in cargo holds; Altura publishes Pilangoora PFS.
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15 February 2016
The announcement by the Korean battery maker coincides with the scrapping of a duty on mining exports from Argentina, as the country continues to open up its economy under its new president, Mauricio Macri.
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12 February 2016
Mongolian fluorspar prices beat average ranges; graphite remains flat as spodumene values rise.
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11 February 2016
FMC’s lithium segment’s full year results were weaker than the previous year, with poor performance in previous quarters offsetting a better December period. The company said it will keep its focus on lithium hydroxide moving forward.
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09 February 2016
Orocobre reaches breakeven production at Olaroz; study dashes Wyoming lithium hopes.
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08 February 2016
Funds will be used to expand ownership of the Mount Marion spodumene joint venture, fund a new lithium-ion battery production facility and bring online a further 9,000 tpa lithium carbonate capacity.
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05 February 2016
Tianqi’s decision to raise concentrate prices supports view of higher demand in Asia, but sharp increases reported for lithium hydroxide and carbonate values may not be reflective of the wider market.
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03 February 2016
The small European nation believes that by establishing a legal framework for asteroid mining, investors will feel more confident about backing space mineral exploration.
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03 February 2016
The text of a new trade agreement between the EU and Vietnam has been released, outlining key measures such as the cancellation of tariffs on Vietnamese rare earths exported into the EU, while the Southeast Asian country is to benefit from the removal of duties on European lithium.
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02 February 2016
Chile’s president calls unity in development of South American lithium; Li3 Energy enters equity deal with Wealth Minerals; Nemaska finalises C$13m funding for Quebec hydroxide plant.
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02 February 2016
An MoU between the US Chemicals major and the Chilean government outlines a partnership for Albemarle’s continued operation in the Salar de Atacama and provides the company with a sense of security as the South American nation moves to overhaul its lithium policy.