Lithium continues to sell at record prices as demand for electric vehicles increases.
Mining.com has the latest on who is winning the global lithium mining domination.
While other battery metals including cobalt and nickel are down significantly from highs hit earlier this year, Frik Els writes that lithium continues to sell at record prices with carbonate prices doubling this year alone.
Companies and country’s are scrambling to cash in: Australia overtook Chile as the dominant supplier of lithium five years ago, but both countries continue to attract investment. Chile’s state-owned copper giant Codelco has joined the fray while a recent conference in Australia bragged of an “insatiable appetite” for the white metal.
The animated graph below shows the world’s top lithium producing countries since 2012 and forecasts the winners in the race over the next decade, based on forecasts by Fitch Solutions, a country risk and industry research company.
Note: May include territories, special administrative regions, provinces and autonomous regions. f = Fitch Solutions forecast. Source: Fitch Solutions
Lithium-ion batteries are the dominant battery technology for electric vehicles.