Battery Materials 2019

9:00AM Pre-Conference Event: Battery Chemistry Day

This Battery Chemistry Day will:

• Assess lithium-ion battery types 
• Solid-state batteries and alternatives to li-ion battery chemistries: Vanadium redox-flow and Zinc-Nickel batteries

PLEASE NOTE: This day requires an additional registration fee to attend. 

You can view the full agenda for the day and registration details here>>

3:00PM Welcome Party

You are invited to the Welcome Reception on Wednesday 10 April. Come and catch up with old and new friends at the Brew Bar at the Kerry Hotel. 

7:45AM Registration desk opens

8:40AM Opening remarks

8:45AM Welcome address

9:00AM Chinese policies and its influence on the battery chemistries

• Overview of Chinese policies and future plans around EVs
• How have subsidies changed since last year?

9:20AM Global regulatory update

• Overview of policy changes around the world to increase electrification
• Which countries to look at and follow
• How do regulatory measures affect the uptake on EV sales, battery cells and raw material demand

9:40AM Chinese EV market and cathode materials used for automotive LIBs

10:00AM Morning networking break

10:30AM PBT – Powering the clean energy evolution

• Introduction to Pure Battery Technologies (PBT)
• Why is PBT a differentiator?
• How is PBT supporting the battery producers for more affordable battery materials with the lowest environmental footprint?  

10:45AM Nickel market spotlight

• Pricing trends 2018
• Pricing forecast for 2019-2020

11:00AM Nickel panel: The future of battery grade nickel

Format: Discussion panel. 

• What are the implications of the EV revolution on nickel market?
• How are miners adapting to increased demand for class 1 nickel?
• Is responsible sources also impacting the future developments for class 1 nickel?
• Growth continues for nickel li-ion cathodes: How is supply side expected to grow to meet the battery demand?
• What will this mean for costs?
• What are the major threats to nickel-rich battery chemistries?
• Battery grade nickel: Are new benchmarks needed?

12:00PM Networking lunch break

1:30PM Panel: Strategic supply chain management

•  Understanding supply chain management models
• Off-take agreement versus investment into mining companies
• How much investment in supply chain to secure raw materials needed?
• Risks and price influences
• Future technologies to support the battery raw material supply chain

2:15PM How is the LME supporting the cobalt industry?

• LME Cobalt: price, volumes and volatility
• Strategic initiatives to support the battery materials industry

2:45PM Networking break

3:15PM On track for pilot operations and definitive feasibility in Q2 2019

3:30PM Developing West African lithium for the world

3:45PM Future of lithium production in Africa

4:00PM Lithium market spotlight

• Prices 2018-2019 trends
• Prediction prices 2019-2020
• Development of lithium pricing: update
• Relevance of lithium pricing index

4:25PM Lithium panel: Looking at a bright future?

Format: Discussion panel  

• Overview of lithium fundamentals and changes since last year.
• Ramping production: What is going on with the juniors?
• Quality: Does source have an impact on battery lithium grade carbonate and hydroxide output?
• Assessing the lithium fundamentals more closely
• Lithium a small market: What are the challenges of demand growth and supply struggles?
• Price challenge to bring it to a specialty chemical

5:30PM End of day one – Networking reception

After a long day filled with interesting discussions, you are invited to join for a networking reception. 

8:30AM Registration desk opens

8:55AM Opening remarks

9:00AM Cobalt market overview

9:30AM Cobalt market spotlight

• Prices 2018-2019 trends
• Price prediction 2019-2020 

9:45AM Cobalt panel: Responsible sourcing, demand and other problems

Format: Discussion panel

• DRC in spotlight:
  • Call to responsible sourcing and more transparency
  • Illegal mining issue
  • Safety and artisanal mining problems
• Will there be enough cobalt in the future?
• Less or no cobalt in the battery chemistries:
  • How are changes in chemistries forming a risk to cobalt prices?
  • How quickly are the chemistry changes happening?
• How much cobalt supply comes from outside of the DRC?
• Chinese cobalt consumption overview

10:45AM Short networking break

11:00AM Restarting a Canadian cobalt refinery

11:20AM Scaling up for advanced cathode materials and next-generation batteries

11:40AM Application of technology to brine

12:00PM Automotive industry perspective on EV battery supply

12:20PM A world class ultra-high quality spodumene lithium project moving to production

• Overview of Sigma and their project 
• The process of producing ultra-high quality differentiated spodumene concentrate
• Discussing Brazil’s significant competitive advantage

12:40PM Networking lunch break

1:45PM Recycling panel: The present and future of battery recycling

Format: Discussion panel. 

• Eye opening numbers to recycling rates and costs of lithium-ion batteries
• What are developed end-of-life strategies for li-ion batteries?
• How many technologies are emerging at the moment to answer this call?
• Where does the LIB recycling infrastructure need to be put in place for this to be realised?
• What are the questions we should be asking for progress in the circular flow of EV lithium-ion batteries?
• What are the future opportunities and challenges for the battery industry?

2:30PM Focus on ultra-high-purity and green manganese products

• Recent developments of the Chvaletice Manganese Project
• What are the main challenges in the production of manganese chemicals for new generation of NMC battery cathodes?
• What does “battery grade” mean?

2:50PM Copper and its demand for a sustainable world

• How much copper is used by electric vehicles and for charging stations?
• Increased demand question for 2025, will the copper market be ready?

3:15PM Short networking break

3:45PM Application status and development trends of natural graphite

4:15PM Graphite market spotlight

• Prices 2018-2019 trends
• Price prediction 2019-2020

4:30PM Graphite panel: Supply, demand and EVs

Format: Discussion panel.

• Supplying the battery industry: Where is graphite going to come from? China and ex-China origins
• Chinese graphite focus:
  • Influence of environmental regulations on domestic resources: Will graphite mining in China continue in the long term?
  • China as graphite importer: Is the shift meaningful and long term?
• Graphite and anodes: Are there any alternative feedstock being considered? Are they viable?
• Spherical graphite capacity, present and future: China versus the rest of the world

5:00PM End of conference