The Global Lithium Podcast

Carlos Vicens is the founder and CEO of Full Circle Lithium, a company that has developed an effective fire extinguishing agent for lithium fires. As the world moves to electric transportation and large scale BESS (battery energy storage systems) the risk to life and property from lithium fires has grown exponentially. Full Circle Lithium believes their FCL-X product is a viable solution to the problem. Topics: How significant an issue are lithium fires? Why lithium fires are so challenging to extinguish The team Partnerships The regulatory environment Should lithium fires have a special classification? Fire tests How FCL-X works Training fire departments Playing with (lithium) fire Next steps

Austin Devaney has a wealth of lithium experience from a decade with Rockwood/Albemarle, his time with Piedmont Lithium and his new advisory business: Li7 Charged. Topics: The state of the industry Supply/demand China's price strategy The importance of Rio Tinto's entry The rush to Africa A "China build" vs the West The new cost curve The future of US lithium Cathode (ex China) Elon drama Albemarle's woes What is the incentive price? Rapid fire

Dr Frank Jackel is the co-founder and Managing Director of Metals Hub (metals-hub.com @metals-hub on X). Metals Hub is a leading software solutions provider that optimizes procurement processes. One of the most significant issues facing the lithium industry is lack of clarity on pricing. Metals Hub is part of the solution to that problem. I have no financial interest in Metals Hub. Nor was I compensated for having them on the podcast. Topics: What Metals Hub does The need for price transparency Albemarle - the first lithium client The mechanics of a lithium sales event Benefits to clients beyond auctions The trend toward spot pricing The advantage of being based outside China Providing a level of trust in the market When will the lithium market mature? The future influence of AI Rapid fire

This is a solo episode answering listener questions. I also discuss what I learned at a recent conference in Florida.

Andy Leyland (@andyleyland1 on X) is the founder and MD of Supply Chain Insights (@insights_SC on X). Supply Chain Insights is a leading advisory firm on all things related to the lithium ion battery supply chain. Topics: State of the LIB supply chain China vs the rest of the world Battery demand growth in 2025 Korea's bet on the US Is LFP "the answer" for North America? President Trump and critical metals Market "reset" or "new normal" CATL's lepidolite restart Price in 2025 and beyond The incentive price for western projects Contracts: the latest trends The cost curve Conversion projects ex China The change industry structure (Rio, Exxon, etc) The futures market

The first episode of 2025 is a double episode covering the two most significant demand drivers of lithium: electric transportation and battery energy storage systems. My guests are two experts in their respective fields: Tu Le from Sino Auto Insights and Henrique Ribeiro from S&P Global. Topics: State of the NEV market The rise of PHEVs Autonomous vehicles Zeekr (Geely) & Waymo Top Chinese NEV companies Tariffs Tesla Thinning the herd Legacy OEMs: who survives? FSD Battery energy storage systems (BESS) BESS impact on lithium demand The economics of BESS Sodium ion: not ready for prime time How real is battery "second life"? BESS in 2030

Daniel Jimenez and I discuss the following topics based on listener questions: 2024 Surprises Lithium demand Trends in EV adoption PHEVs BESS growth The incentive price The cost curve Inventory Rio - Arcadium Africa's potential Price VW - Patriot Canada Argentina Ex China conversion LFP The "Trump" impact Rapid fire

This episode takes a deep dive into the Lithium Americas Thacker Pass project . My guests are LAC GM Hugh Broadhurst and R&D Manager Ryan Ravenelle. Topics: What makes Thacker Pass special? Working with a major mining partner The significance of the Reno Tech Center Benefits of being in a “mining” state Product specifications The Team Infrastructure Logistics The “Goldilocks” sulfuric acid plant Sustainability Community support The project timeline Challenges The cost curve Rapid fire

Dale Henderson (@henderson_dale on X) is the Managing Director & CEO of Pilbara Minerals. I was honored to have him join me for the 200th episode. Topics: Pilbara’s four strategic pillars The wild ride for lithium (& Pilbara) Swing supply created by 2022 pricing The steepening cost curve Unsustainable pricing in 2024 The coming shortage Continuing to be nimble Managing through volatility The POSCO JV & other world class partners Where Pilbara sits on the cost curve Growth and the Latin Resources acquisition The arrival of big balance sheets to lithium Brazil as a lithium jurisdiction Keeping the team motivated Two questions from Dale Rapid fire

Dan Blondal aka "the man with one tweet" is the CEO of Nano One (TSX: NANO / OTC: NNOMF). Topics: A world class suite of partners The battery challenge Why ex China cathode capacity matters China's current LFP dominance Why the west has to do LFP differently The importance of ESS as a catalyst "Design one - build many" Will Japan make a battery comeback? The importance of the DOD investment Staying the course Rapid fire

The majority of this episode is a presentation I made at the Panorama Minero "Lithium South America" event in Jujuy, Argentina on October 9, 2024. The presentation starts at ~ minute 23. The episode begins with a interview with Alejandro Columbo from Panorama Minero. We discuss what Panorama Minero does and how this event has grown over the last decade to global significance. My presentation "Lithium's Bright Future" also includes a discussion of the history of the industry and how the west's failure to act early in the last decade allowed China to become the current dominant player in lithium ion batteries and EVs. Yet the past isn't necessarily prologue.

My favorite event on the annual lithium calendar is Panorama Minero's "Lithium South America". My guests on this episode are Daniel Jimenez of iLi Markets, Roland Chavasse of the International Lithium Association and JP Vargas the MD of Galan Lithium.

Sid Subramani has global responsibility for lithium projects at Hatch (@HATCHglobal on X), a professional services and engineering company. Topics: The Hatch role in lithium A typical engagement Red flags Projects: majors vs juniors Big Energy vs Big Mining DLE – when & how significant? Common project mistakes The importance of grade Why projects are late QPs Lepidolite Lithium jurisdictions Specifications Cap-Ex: China vs others The cost curve People Rapid fire

Katie Pyfer is a Senior Director of Energy Storage responsible for global pricing at Albemarle. She has a PhD in analytical chemistry. Topics: Product analysis Managing market cycles Price discovery "Micro" managing Battery demand Commodity or specialty chemical? Tolling The blending game Qualification Competitive tension The benefit of lithium auctions Price transparency Contracts The future of "futures"

I answer listener questions on this episode. Topics: The Future of DLE Argentina production in 2025 Black Swan events Can the US work with China? The Pilbara/LRS deal Is it time for more M&A? US production in 2030 EU lithium potential Hard rock vs brine The Salton Sea Is LFP the future? Oversupply - how long? SQM as a barometer of price Rapid fire

Lisa Rebora is the Head of Global Lithium at Equinor, a global energy company (NYSE: EQNR). Equinor recently invested in two of Standard Lithium's projects in Arkansas and Texas but has lithium ambitions beyond the US. Topics: Who is Equinor? Capital commitment to low carbon solutions Why lithium? The long look at DLE Why Arkansas & Texas? The relationship with Standard Lithium The importance of Koch as a partner Building a lithium team Strength in Partnerships Challenges getting to market Market volatility The lithium growth story M&A The million dollar question The British invasion in Arkansas Rapid fire

Iola Hughes is the Head of Research at Rho Motion, a battery information services company that is part of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Iola is @RhoMoIola on X Topics: Cathode chemistry GWH growth numbers China's amazing performance Pack sizes The EV slowdown (ex China) ICE-EV price parity Does BYD need the US? Will Tesla get the boot in China? Revival of the hybrids India Sodium ion OEM strategies Solid state batteries The ESS market Rapid fire

My guest is industry veteran Daniel Jimenez. This is my first live podcast recorded in Fastmarket's "Live Lounge" during their recent Lithium and Battery Raw Materials Conference in Las Vegas. Topics: Lithium market sentiment Excess capacity across the lithium ion battery supply chain Recalibrating unrealistic North American and EU EV expectations Africa – opaque on volume and quality? SQM as a barometer of the industry Codelco and the Chilean state Tianqi’s failed dream in Chile SQM in Australia ALB – strategy or tactics? Big Oil’s move into lithium Can the oil companies use DLE to transform the industry? Arcadium – synergy? Chile – outside of the Atacama Argentina’s lithium future Bolivia Brazil’s hard rock boom Canada as a lithium province The future of US lithium Who will be the marginal cost producer? The incentive price Lepidolite Building lithium ion supply chains ex China Galan’s project Rapid fire Auction advice for Albemarle Eramet - DLE's first full scale plant or another black eye?

My guests are Standard Lithium CEO Robert Mintak and Dr Andy Robinson, President and COO. Topics: Equinor - another great partner Focusing on high grade brine De-risking DLE with Koch Project timelines What the OEMs are looking for Why the Smackover is so significant 3 projects with a consistent flowsheet The Equinor deal structure Arkansas & Texas as lithium jurisdictions Continuing to build the team Managing 3 projects vs 1 Carbonate or hydroxide? Standard's place on the cost curve What's next? Rapid fire

I take a deep dive into Ganfeng's history and what drove their success. I question why the world's largest lithium company, Albemarle, doesn't have the same vision and ability to get things done as Ganfeng. The episode opens with MLC CEO Paul Hogan briefly explaining why lithium may be a significant part of his company's future.