(Reuters) – Rio Tinto stays in speak with get lithium producer Arcadium Lithium, going after a proposal that may make the Anglo-Australian miner the third-largest producer of the electric-vehicle battery metal.
Rio’s Rincon job in Argentina is due to start creating in a while this yr, whereas its Jadar job in Serbia would possibly take a minimal of two years to safeguard all of the required authorizations.
There is an assumption for much more bargains amongst lithium producers as long-lasting potential clients for EV want keep favorable despite quite a few worldwide automotive producers lowering their targets within the short-term.
Below is a guidelines of the main lithium producers on the planet:
1. Albermale
Albemarle is the globe’s greatest lithium producer, with a market cap of relating to $12 billion. It runs the one creating lithium mine in North America, and likewise has procedures in Chile and Western Australia.
It holds joint endeavors in Australia with Mineral Resources on the Wodgina mine and with Tianqi Lithium on the Greenbushes mine.
In 2023, it generated 39,000 a lot of lithium metal.
2. Sociedad Qu ímica y Minera de Chile
Chile’s SQM is the second-largest lithium producer, with a market cap of $11.43 billion. China’s Tianqi Lithium has relating to a fifth of the enterprise.
SQM in 2015 generated round 165,500 a lot of lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate, in keeping with its yearly document.
3. Ganfeng Lithium
China’s Ganfeng Lithium has a market cap of $9.37 billion. It likewise has a 6.16% threat inAustralia’s Pilbara Minerals It has procedures in Western Australia, Argentina, Mexico and China.
4. Tianqi Lithium
Tianqi Lithium, which has a market cap of $8.11 billion, has procedures in Australia, Chile and China.
5. Mineral Resources
Australia’s Mineral Resources has a market cap of $7.12 billion and is the globe’s biggest miner of hardrock spodumene. It holds dangers in quite a few programmers reminiscent of Global Lithium, Delta Lithium and Wildcat Resources.
Per in 2015’s yearly document, the enterprise delivered 847,000 utterly dry statistics bunches (dmt) of spodumene focus.
6. Pilbara Minerals
Pilbara Minerals has a market cap of $6.34 billion and runs the Pilgangoora mine inWestern Australia In August, it made a A$ 559.9 million ($ 378.21 million) quote for smaller sized peer Latin Resources to get to its Brazilian procedures.
In 2023, it generated 620,147 dmt of general spodumene focus.
7. Arcadium Lithium
Arcadium Lithium has a market cap of $3.31 billion and was created by the merging of Allkem and Livent onJan 4, 2024. It has mining possessions in Argentina and Australia, and downstream conversion possessions within the united state, China, Japan and UK.
As of 2023, each the corporations with one another generated round 29,661 a lot of lithium carbonate, and Allkem alone generated 239,312 dmt of spodumene focus.
8. Liontown Resources
Liontown Resources has a market cap of $1.45 billion, and runs in Western Australia.
In September, it delivered its preliminary lithium results of 11,855 damp statistics a lot of spodumene focus.
($ 1 = 1.4804 Australian bucks)
(Reporting by Seher Dareen and Tanay Dhumal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
