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Scandal in Chile Threatens Lithium Supply
What is it with South American countries and corporate scandals?
First, it was Brazil and the still-expanding improprieties surrounding Petrobras (PBR).
Now, the spotlight is shifting to Chile and Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) – the world’s largest producer of a key battery ingredient, lithium.
SQM was privatized in the 1980s under the dictator Augusto Pinochet. His then son-in-law, Julio Ponce, conveniently bought up shares that made him chairman of the company and a billionaire.
But earlier this year, Ponce, SQM’s CEO Patricio Contesse, and others were forced out after investigations revealed insider trading, tax fraud, and illegal political contributions.
And, apparently, this is just the tip of the iceberg…
Government in Hot Pursuit
The Chilean investment agency Corfo is now trying to revoke the company’s land concessions involving lithium and fertilizer in the Salar de Atacama. This area is a huge salt flat rich in lithium, and makes Chile the “Saudi Arabia of Lithium.”
The agency claims that Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile underpaid contracts and sold its product at below-market prices. Officials said this behavior shows that SQM is not a “suitable” company to have any contracts with the Chilean government.
Of course, SQM is denying all allegations. The company says it has faithfully complied with all the obligations in the lease agreement.
The dispute is currently in arbitration proceedings, which will be closely watched by the lithium industry. Any disruption to Chilean supplies will surely have an effect on lithium supplies and prices.
Prices Power Up
Lithium prices were already enjoying an upswing prior to this brewing dispute.
This is partially due to the current double-digit growth in lithium-ion battery demand. Battery makers like Tesla Motors (TSLA), Panasonic (PCRFY), and LG Chem (051910.KS) are expanding their production and are expected to continue doing so.
In a report, Jon Hykawy of Stormcrow Capital forecasted that “overall lithium demand will more than double from present levels through 2025.”
The more interesting story is on the supply side, though.
Major producers, such as SQM, have always said that adding production is no problem. Yet, lithium prices have doubled since 2009 with little rise in output.
This is especially true in the upstream market. Tight supplies are apparent for both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide.
For insight into what’s really happening with lithium supplies, I contacted Joe Lowry, known in industry circles as Mr. Lithium.
Mr. Lithium Says…
Lowry is one of the world’s leading experts in lithium supply and markets, with more than two decades in the industry. These days, he travels around the world gathering intelligence on lithium for his advisory firm, Global Lithium LLC.
As for why lithium prices are up, Lowry pointed to several supply factors, including “the delay in the Rockwood Holdings expansion coming on line, Orocobre’s (ORL.TO) inability to ramp up thus far, and uncertainty in China over spodumene pricing and supply.” (Spodumene is a mineral consisting of lithium aluminum inosilicate that’s a source of lithium.)
Rockwood Holdings, now a part of Albemarle (ALB), is the global market leader for lithium compounds and one of the biggest producers of lithium raw materials.
Rockwood has a major expansion project in Chile. But it has experienced serious delays thanks largely to disputes with the Chilean government. It’s interesting to note that Rockwood is developing lithium brine holdings in Arkansas, and is sitting on one of the richest spodumene deposits in the world in North Carolina.
Orocobre is a junior lithium company that’s the first new global lithium carbonate supplier in over 20 years. Its flagship Salar de Olaroz lithium project is located in Argentina. Again, a tough political environment in which to do business.
And what about the SQM situation? After all, even before its current mess, the company wasn’t delivering as much lithium as promised to some customers.
“It is still too early to tell how the SQM situation plays out,” says Lowry.
It probably is too early to judge, since politicians are involved.
But with lithium being a key component for devices in everyone’s pockets, purses, and homes, it’s certainly a situation well worth keeping an eye on in the weeks ahead.
And the chase continues,
Tim Maverick
Fossil fuels are finished – the rest is just detail.
The detail is interesting and important, as I expand on below. But unless we recognise the central proposition: that the fossil fuel age is coming to an end, and within 15 to 30 years – not 50 to 100 – we risk making serious and damaging mistakes in climate and economic policy, in investment strategy and in geopolitics and defence.
’ve written previously about 2015 being the year the “Dam of Denial” breaks, referring to the end of denial that climate change requires urgent, transformational economic change. While related, this is different. It is now becoming clear we’ve reached a tipping point where fossil fuels will enter terminal decline, independently of climate policy action.
Given climate policy action is also now accelerating, fossil fuels are double dead. To paraphrase Douglas Adams, “So long and thanks for all the energy”.
I understand this is a very big call, especially in regards to timing. There are many drivers that lead me to this conclusion, but it’s their integrated impact that makes me so confident.
Think of energy like you think about an iPhone
The first and most important driver is the argument I first made early in 2014, in a paper with RenewEconomy editor, Giles Parkinson. For over 100 years, energy markets have been defined by physical resources, supplied in large volumes by large, slow-moving companies developing long-life assets in the context of slow-moving shifts in markets.
The new emerging energy system of renewables and storage is a “technology” business, more akin to information and communications technology; where prices keep falling, quality keeps rising, change is rapid and market disruption is normal and constant.
There is a familiar process that unfolds in markets with technology driven disruptions. I expand on that here in a 2012 piece I wrote in a contribution to Jorgen Randers book “2052 – A Global Forecast” (arguing the inevitability of the point we have now arrived at).
This shift to a “technology” has many implications for energy, but the most profound one is very simple. As a group of technologies, more demand for renewables means lower prices and higher quality constantly evolving for a long time to come. The resources they compete with – coal, oil and gas – follow a different pattern. If demand kept increasing, prices would go up because the newer reserves cost more to develop, such as deep sea oil. They may get cheaper through market shifts, as they have done recently, but they can’t keep getting cheaper and they can never get any better.
In that context, consider this. Renewables are, today, on the verge of being price competitive with fossil fuels – and already are in many situations. So in 10 years, maybe just five, it is a no-brainer that renewables will be significantly cheaper than fossil fuels in most places and will then just keep getting cheaper. And better.
Then we add in electric cars, which are now on the same path – converting a staid, slow moving industry (traditional auto companies like GM) into a disruptive technology-driven one (innovators like Tesla). Electric cars will accelerate the end of fossil fuels by joining with renewables to create a system shift, both directly by using clean power to charge them and indirectly by driving battery costs down to create storage for distributed renewables.
This all then unleashes competition across sectors bringing new players to old industries. For example utilities facing the much discussed death spiral triggered by solar, will find the motor vehicle fuels market very appealing. This would then unleash a huge political and commercial driver for growth in electric cars with the utility sector providing infrastructure to use their product, locking in customers with long-term supply deals backed by renewable power and lobbying for electric cars (to also protect the grid).
Within a decade, electric cars will be more reliable, cheaper to own and more fun to drive than petrol-fueled cars. Then it will just be a matter of turning over the fleet. Oil companies will then have their Kodak moment. Coal will already largely be gone, replaced by renewables.
The incumbents won’t respond in time. They are steeped in their analysis that they are the underpinning foundation of the economy – which of course they have been. This is so deeply ingrained in their worldview they can’t see their error. Energy is the essential foundation of the economy, but we now have a better, cheaper way of producing energy.
Fast beats slow
One of key competitive advantages the fossil fuel industry has had is the huge capital, complexity risk and high level engineering skills required to develop them.
This has two impacts. Firstly it created huge barriers to entry in the market – a disruptive entrepreneur can’t build a coal power station, drill in the deep ocean, buy an oil tanker or develop a coalmine. They can play on the edges, like shale gas, oil trading or mineral exploration, but they can’t play the main game. Secondly the industry has had huge incumbency power – it’s very expensive and politically hard to consciously and deliberately close down such a powerful industry and replace it. Thus action on climate change has stalled for decades.
Both of these benefits are gone when you combine “energy as a technology” with most growth in energy demand being in developing economies.
With renewables already competitive today without subsidy in some markets and the above trends playing out, it is inevitable that before long – maybe a decade – virtually all new electricity generation will be from renewables. Add in the need to be clean – not just for climate change reasons but for local air quality – and the choice developing countries will face will be between large, old, dirty, hard to finance infrastructure that requires heavy government support or small scale, easy to finance, more convenient, popular and clean energy and transport that will get even cheaper over time. Tough choice?
So the very thing that the fossil fuel industry had relied on for its growth – the rapidly expanding need for energy in the developing world – is the very thing that will drive the competition to wipe them out.
Implications
It’s hard to know where to begin with what this all means, because this really does change everything. Of course no one can accurately forecast the dates involved. But the assumptions pretty much everyone’s working with – that without policy intervention the energy system will be dominated by fossil fuels in 2050 and beyond – is frankly delusional. How could an incumbent, unpopular and dirty technology with increasing prices beat a disruptor that is cleaner, better, lower risk and falls in price every year?
Once you accept that, whether we stop burning fossil fuels in 15 years or 30 years is important, but it’s not the main question because either way it’s a very different outcome than most are planning for.
As I argued in early 2014, in Carbon Crash – Solar Dawn, the industry’s condition is terminal and once everyone wakes up to that reality, it will die faster because the market will discount it, taking away capital and shifting it to the future winners. This process will drive scale deployment and innovation of renewables while denying capital to fossil fuels, constraining their options.
Then the only logical strategy for fossil fuel companies will be to get their depreciating assets out of the ground as fast as possible and invest zero in exploration and development, instead paying out spare cash as dividends to shore up their stock price. With everyone doing this, prices will fall, chasing the declining market, undermining the value of the fossil fuel industry, and reducing its political influence further.
All businesses, like humans, fight death. And fight they will, with all the considerable power they have. So it will be messy and chaotic, and not consistent around the world. But in the end, the fossil fuel giants have no strategy that involves fossil fuels which makes any business or economic sense.
Other companies like utilities and auto companies, meanwhile, have great options – like taking away a large share of the oil industry’s market with renewable powered electric cars. They know that today we spend around twice as much on motor transport fuel as we do on electricity.
But big oil versus big utilities aligned with big auto is not the only disruptive impact for investors. There’s a whole range of industries that will benefit and join the party that will dance on the grave of fossil fuels: battery manufacturers, copper and lithium miners, electronics producers, software developers, electric engine makers, smart grid builders and, of course, solar and wind power manufacturers, installers and financiers. Shell and Exxon don’t see Google and Apple as competitors, which is just why incumbents so often lose. In combination, these forces will unleash the predictable pattern of technology driven market disruption.
If you think this is all far into the future, think again. In the USA, coal companies have lost around 75 per cent of their value in the past few years, while the Dow Jones went up nearly 70 per cent! And electric car maker Tesla, producing less than 40,000 cars per year, is valued at over half of GM, which produces 9 million cars per year! The market can smell death and knows that fast beats slow.
For climate advocates and policy makers, nothing changes in their approach, but everything changes in the result – and their level of confidence and influence.
With fossil fuels on the run, that industry’s support will evaporate. Governments are much more inclined to regulate when what they seek is already happening, but needs speeding up. So as fossil fuels are falling off the cliff, governments will give them a kick so they can claim credit.
Climate advocates, whose main challenge is speed of action, don’t need to change their approach. Their strategy is working: make fossil fuels harder, make solar easier. The only change, now, is that victory is at hand. Everyone loves a winner.
In conclusion, I will summarise my argument:
• The fossil fuel energy industry is now entering terminal decline and will be all but gone within 15-30 years. The key driver is not what most see as their greatest threat – future climate change policy. It’s that competing energy products of renewables and batteries, in a system with electric vehicles, will behave as a disruptive technology always does, delivering ever lower prices and ever higher quality in a decades’ long period of innovation and deployment, which fossil fuels can’t match.
• Because of the nature of this transformation, there will be a wide variety of new business players entering the market from the side, profoundly changing the market. The obvious example is utilities promoting electric cars as an enormous new market opportunity, which will assist them in avoiding the “death spiral” threat posed by the end of centralised generation.
Joining already are companies like Apple and Google who are both developing battery and car opportunities, with a close eye on the technology integration opportunity. Together this will form a powerful economic force both driving disruption and advocating climate action, undermining the historically dominant political and economic resistance of the fossil fuel companies.
• In combination these forces will unleash the predictable pattern of technology driven market disruption. The incumbents will stay in denial and fail to respond to what’s coming, despite it being obvious. They will hold on and fight against change as long as possible, but in the end will be wiped out by nimbler, new players without the cultural or asset baggage of the old. There will be an unknown tipping point – I think before 2020 – at which time the momentum will rapidly accelerate.
• The key difference in this transition, versus previous technology-driven change, is that it has the added dimension of climate change, making the resulting transformation a very high priority for policy makers and an unbeatable source of public support for the disruptors.
Fossil fuels are dead. The rest is detail.
Seem to me there doing every thing to line up the money its going to take to become full production of more than just one trick pony there moving into all fields of application associated the materials at hand. and there building a company net worth that can me leverage for the need funds to develop there assets with that is why I invest money into there control and do research to see if there on track for long term gains. I myself will take gains for time to time and also take loses.Butt my long term plan is to have what i call free money invested that is money that I maid trading this on peaks and leaving my safe profit in to grow over the long run so fare I am half was there if I hit one more peak above .53 cents I am able to have a free ride till I think this stock hit over 20 dollars share by 2025.
Lithium Americas and POSCO Begin Commercialization
Discussions for the Development of the Cauchari-Olaroz
Lithium Project
Posted on May 4, 2015 by LAC in News Releases
TORONTO, Canada, May 4, 2015 – Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (“LAC” or the “Company”) is pleased to
announce that it is now in discussions with POSCO regarding the proposed commercialization of the Company’s
Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project in Jujuy Province, Argentina. The two parties expect to execute a Heads of Agreement
(“HOA”) shortly that will define the basic conditions governing a new Joint Venture Company (“JVC”). While the full
terms of the parties’ joint venture arrangements are still to be negotiated, POSCO is expected to contribute to the
JVC the right to use its proprietary lithium extraction technologies for the production of lithium carbonate and lithium
hydroxide, while LAC would contribute the right to use brine from its Cauchari-Olaroz salar properties.
POSCO’s and LAC’s decision to pursue a commercialization agreement is based on the successful results and
collaborative efforts surrounding the operation of POSCO’s innovative high efficiency lithium extraction demonstration
plant (the “Demo Plant”). The Demo Plant, with an operating capacity of 200 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate
equivalent (“LCE”), was inaugurated at the LAC Cauchari project site on December 19, 2014 and achieved full and
continuous operating rates throughout a test period that ended in late January, 2015. During this period, over
20 tonnes of lithium phosphate was produced and subsequently exported to POSCO’s facility in Pohang, Korea
where it was further processed into battery grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. POSCO advised Lithium
Americas that initial test results indicated that the Demo Plant achieved or exceeded all performance targets and
that the lithium products processed in Pohang were of very high quality.
The lithium project team leader, Dr. Uong Chon, a Senior VP of POSCO, was recently quoted in the Korean
business press as saying “the traditional process using the evaporation method required up to 18 months
for lithium extraction and yielded low recovery rates, but our new extraction technology only requires 8 hours
and has recovery rates of 90%.
tried to buy at .42 my dad died so I been busy.He did leave me some cash so least I can cover if WLCDF cant sell Lithuim from 2 sources or they stop beinng the Number 1 OTC stock of the year.maybe the lithium next to a battery plant will just be used for animal feed or drilling fluid and the lithium that is wicked cheep to prudution from LAC stock will just be sold for Potash.and that will make no money.I will take my chance that WLCDF will fallow the same course of SQM witch was like .30 cents went to 30+ dollers hmmm lets do the math 10,000 shares at .50 cents = 5000.00 dollers 5 to 10 years 10,000 share at 20.00 dollers 200,000.00 hmmm might be worth waiting for.
good move to me.just like cards 2 pair better than one.looking like a full house down the road.
I bought shares today.
A Texas developer says he is considering Fernley as one of his options for locating a plant that would manufacture electric cars, despite announcing that he had cooled on Fernley as potential site after a discussion with a city councilman.
Tom Raines, president and CEO of Ukeycheyma, said he has been working with the city of Fernley's community development department for about a year and a half, as he considers several sites for his start-up company.
Western Lithium Announces $5 Million Bought Deal
RENO, NEVADA--(Marketwired - May 19, 2015) -
http://www.juniorminingnetwork.com/junior-miner-news/press-releases/630-tsx/wlc/7262-western-lithium-announces-5-million-bought-deal.html#.VVu9VPlViko
Berry on the Tesla Powerall and the growing demand for lithium. -
http://investorintel.com/technology-metals-intel/berry-on-the-tesla-powerall-and-the-growing-demand-for-lithium/
Tesla Powerwall
I am thinking if you needed Water for your Plant to work and there was a LAKE in your back yard you might pump water out of it. LAKE WESTERN LITHIUM is that close to this PLANT?
Lithium Demand Will Grow Faster Than Experts Imagine
It all started with Tesla’s announcement of its battery giga-factory in February, 2014. That news was discussed endlessly with breathless excitement. The news sparked a revival in lithium, cobalt and graphite juniors. For example, Western Lithium USA Corp. (WLC.TO) based in Nevada, more than doubled that month. At the time, I wrote a few articles saying that the giga-factory was great news for select graphite companies. I didn’t mention lithium or cobalt, simply because I was less fluent in those. Today, I’m better prepared to articulate the lithium story, one of the hotter sectors in the natural resources space. Why now? I think that the lithium-ion battery might be reaching a “tipping point,” the phrase made famous by Malcolm Gladwell. Please note, I don’t use catch phrases loosely, lithium’s spike in demand is no, “black swan” event, and we’re not near “Peak Lithium,” although we could see supply shortages on the horizon. Not only did Tesla’s giga-factory catch everyone’s, the idea caught on so well that there’s already 5-6 announced or in construction giga-factories, (Tesla’s is the largest).
Lithium demand, “is spiking,” for several reasons, again heavily influenced by the $5 billion dollar Tesla facility. Interestingly, the original concept was that the Tesla facility would be completed by 2020. Now conventional wisdom says 2017-18, another bullish data point. Tesla’s fully electric car was way too awesome for its own good. It guaranteed that new competition would enter the space and it has. Get ready for it, an abbreviated list of 15 automakers in the plugin-EV (hybrid) or fully EV market….BMW, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Tesla, GM, Ford, Kia, Fiat, Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi and Hyundai. This list probably doesn’t even contain all of the well known brands. Many of these automakers had no offerings of plugin-EV (hybrid) or fully EVs until after Tesla’s. Here’s another fact, not my opinion, there are dozens of less well known brands diving into the race. China and Europe have plenty of them. China is trying mightily to cut down on air pollution and European cities are small enough to be quite amenable to EVs. Check out this article if you don’t believe me! And, just wait until ALL hybrids become full EVs. A certainty in my mind.
So many uses, hard to follow demand, harder to forecast
So far I’ve mentioned Tesla’s new paradigm introduction of a “real” EV. And, it attracting MANY competitors. Next I pointed to the multiple giga-factories spurred on by Tesla’s. But wait, there’s more. About a week ago Tesla announced a much ballyhooed home lithium battery storage system that can run one’s home for up to 8 hours. This product is thought to be especially attractive to homes with solar panels. This is yet another shot across the bow warning of another leg up in lithium demand. I guarantee that Elon Musk’s home storage units will attract a lot of competition, (some superseded Tesla), and perhaps the need for more battery giga-factories? Tipping point or not, lithium demand is moving substantially higher by the day. By the time analysts come around to forecasting a 12%-15% CAGR from 2015-2020, the growth rate could be more like 25%-35%. I have no scientific backing for my 25%-35% projection, I’m just saying that extrapolating 2012-2015 grow factors forward will not work. Don’t make me mention the 200 million electric bikes in China alone, because I will if I have to. Another far less mentioned factoid is the widespread adoption of hybrid buses, taxis & forklifts (and like equipment in warehouses around the globe). Is anyone contemplating the replacement lithium batteries that will be required by many electronic devices, power tools, etc?
Above, I mentioned Western Lithium, that has a well deserved market cap of $105 million. Lithium America’s Corp. (LAC.TO) has a $70 million market cap. Before moving down the list, please also consider Australian-listed Orocobre Limited (ORE:ASX) with a market cap of $425 million for a pure-play, producing lithium company. Of course, Orocobre is several years ahead of small cap companies like Dajin Resources (DJI.V) & (DJIFF) (which trades a combined 365k shares per day) and Pure Energy (PE.V). However, we’ve seen this movie before. When a commodity is in high demand, this is what happens. Small companies acquire or get options on prospective deposits, they stake new ground, they explore and develop as available capital prudently allows.
Time is money. Do new entrants really want to start a green field project? Or might they prefer to save 2-3-4 years time, money and leg work provided by a well-run junior? I believe that in a strong market, or dare I say a bull market in lithium, companies with the lowest market caps, solid management teams and highly prospective deposits will be sought after. I submit that lithium companies with market caps of $5mm to $15 million today have stocks more likely to double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, sextuple, septuple or octuple than some of the above mentioned plays. Sorry, I had to use the word, “septuple” at least once in my life.
For example, for Dajin Resources, a 10x return on its market cap would still place it at a discounted valuation to Western Lithium.
Will .71 be the the next base level?
Looking at my research this could be the next base level for the next few months around .65 to .75 i think could be support and resistance.
My only fear with this line of thinking is that over the last 2 years every time volume is over 1 million shares it seem there is a small day up tick then it settles back. I think this time there is a chance that it might not settle back and go on a burst do to a large buy order bring the volume over 3 million and pushing the base up into the low .80 cent range. so if you get caught with your pants down or bail out you could be missing out on some return.I know this will not effect holders.There is a poster on this board I would like you outlook on charting you know who you are.. last post
you got back in at .65 i think and were looking for it to run up to over a 1.00
There is also a possibility with news this could run up over buck and stay there.
My thoughts are just that. do you research and enjoy this run.
trader and dreamer Pete
Where Is Tesla Going To Get Lithium and Graphite For The “GigaFactory'?
http://www.investing.com/analysis/where-is-tesla-going-to-get-the-lithium-and-graphite-for-the-%E2%80%9Cgigafactor-250401
Jay Chmelauskas, Western Lithium's chief executive, said his company's intention is to become a major supplier of lithium to U.S. battery manufacturers. When asked whether Western could be a provider to the "gigafactory," he said "we have the right address," without confirming discussions with Tesla, specifically. wlcdf
Tesla Motors is looking for the site of its next gigafactory: in Japan.
ok well least western lithuim has a office there lol
JAPAN OFFICE
Western Lithium Corporation
#605 Holland Hills
Mori Tower RoP 5-11-1
Toranomon Minato-ku
https://transportevolved.com/2015/03/30/tesla-motors-asks-japanese-battery-companies-to-take-more-risks-build-gigafactory/
nice WLCDF Plug.
Is there enough lithium to feed Tesla’s Giga Factory?
Tesla’s battery supplier, has imported a lot of lithium from Chinese suppliers recently. In the second half of 2014, lithium exports to Japan from China rose sharply. However, the cost of lithium supplied-which is extracted from the spodumene ore-is much higher than the lithium extracted from lithium carbonate.
historically, the lithium quality from Chinese suppliers has not met the standards required for car batteries. Chinese producers will have to improve the quality to meet the specifications from Panasonic, adding more complexity to their supply chain.
SQM stock is also not stable and the other lithium stock locations are not in the best placement to lower prices.
WLCDF has produced 99.8% high quality lithium carbonate in its first trial run while commissioning its demonstration plant in Germany.
According to a report from Reuters, BYD aims to sharply increase output at its own lithium-ion battery plant over the next few years, as it gears up to meet increasing global demand.This will also ad to looking at the location of Western Lithium.
Note I am long on this stock and think its shizzle.
I am long on wlcdf myself but I do sell and buy this stock so I am able to build my share total.I have been able increase my long position.I am interested research and I love reading about new thoughts ON Electric Vehicles - Passing Fad or Paradigm Shift
http://www.intelligentutility.com/article/14/03/electric-vehicles-passing-fad-or-paradigm-shift
http://www.domain-b.com/technology/20150226_electrolyte.html
I also feel this stock will not stay in penny range much longer I think Bill is correct about catching the rocket now.If i made more money in my Job I would buy shares on dips but I am just a little fish in this Pond,I do have teeth so maybe I can eat my way to a healthy retirement.
I think this a Gem of a stock if you play your cards well.We should be able to make some cash.most people on this message board have chips on and off the table and at some point we might walk away with somthing to show for playing the game.
I am looking forward to the Future. check this out.
Posted: Feb 25, 2015
In quest for better lithium-air batteries, nanoparticle coatings improve carbon's stability
(Nanowerk News) To power a car so it can travel hundreds of miles at a time, lithium-ion batteries of the future are going to have to hold more energy without growing too big in size.
That's one of the dilemmas confronting efforts to power cars through re-chargeable battery technologies. In order to hold enough energy to enable a car trip of 300-500 miles before re-charging, current lithium-ion batteries become too big or too expensive.
In the search for the "post-lithium-ion" battery, Associate Professor of Chemistry Dunwei Wang has been developing materials that might one day enable the manufacture of new batteries capable of meeting power demands within the size and cost constraints of car makers and other industries.
In a recent report published in the German journal Angewandte Chemie ("Three Dimensionally Ordered Mesoporous Carbon as a Stable, High-Performance Li-O2 Battery Cathode"), Wang and a colleague from the University of Massachusetts Amherst unveiled a new method of stabilizing carbon - a central structural component of any battery - that could pave the way to new performance standards in the hunt for a lithium-ion components.
3DOm Carbon
Chemists from Boston College and UMass Amherst applied two nano-scale coatings to a unique form of carbon, known as 3DOm. The resulting boost in 3DOm's stability produced performance gains that could lead to the material's use in lithium-air batteries. (Image: Boston College)
Central to the search for improved performance is the ability to shed weight and costly chemical components. Researchers pursuing a "lithium-air" battery have focused on a chemical reaction of lithium and oxygen, which can be pulled from the air. But the materials used to generate this reaction have shown poor life cycles, lasting through just a few charges.
The culprit, said Wang, is the instability of carbon, an essential structural support to a battery's electrode, a conductor where charges collect and dispense.
"Carbon is used in every battery because it has that combination of low cost, light weight and conductivity," said Wang. "You can't just scrap it."
So Wang and UMass Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Wei Fan set to work improving the performance capabilities of a newly engineered form of carbon fabricated by Fan. It's called three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous (3DOm) carbon and scientists value it for its highly ordered structure.
Employing a technique called atomic layer deposition (ALD), the researchers grew a thin coating of iron oxide on the carbon, a step that enhanced the reactivity between lithium and oxygen and improved performance on the charge cycle. Next, they used ALD to apply a coating of palladium nanoparticles, which effectively reduced carbon's deteriorative reaction with oxygen and improved the discharge cycle.
Their initial tests on the material showed marked improvement in performance.
"We demonstrated that a particular form of carbon can be used to support a new type of chemistry that allows for energy storage with the promise of five to 10 times more energy density than state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries we see today," said Wang. "We see this as significantly improving the cyclability of the battery, which is a key issue."
Wang said the findings show 3DOm carbon can meet new performance standards when it is stabilized.
"The key innovation we make here is that 3DOm carbon is stable - we have stabilized something that was not previously stable," said Wang.
Read more: In quest for better lithium-air batteries, nanoparticle coatings improve carbon's stability
shortage by as soon as 2015.
Lithium hydroxide is used as an active cathode in the batteries, and we could see a shortage by as soon as 2015.
Price of lithium hydroxide on the rise
The price of battery grade lithium hydroxide in 2010 and 2011 was US$7,500-$8,000/t, respectively. In 2012, the price increased to US $8,500/t. Prices are expected to stabilize in 2013 at approximately US $9,000/t, increasing to US $10,475/t by 2020.
Western Lithium is finalising the design of the lithium hydroxide circuit which is needed for production, and will be testing the circuit in pilot tests during 2015. According to Western Lithium's website, the project is due to come into production in 2018 to 2019.
""The progress being made in circuit design of lithium hydroxide is also a key development. We view that lithium hydroxide could, in the coming years, represent a larger portion of the lithium market, particularly with the predicted uptake of electric vehicles,
love the new Site
http://www.westernlithium.com/
Stage I reserve base supports annual production of 26,000 tonnes lithium carbonate,
90,000 tonnes of potassium sulfate
100,000 tones of sodium sulfate. Future development potential for Stages II to V.
1 share .41 cents today 100 shares 41.00 bucks 1000 shares 410.00 bucks 10,000 4100.0 bucks
1 share 10 bucks 100 shares 1000.00 1000 shares 10,000.00 bucks 10,00 shares 100,000.00.
Is There Enough Lithium for Tesla's Gigafactory?
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/b/3abb52e4-ea59-4ed9-8525-80e5765c701c
Western Lithium Ships First Organoclay Order - Quick Facts
1/7/2015 2:33 AM ET
Rare Earth Minerals (REM.L) reported that Western Lithium USA Corp., in which REM holds nearly 3.02% interest, has announced that it has shipped its first order of Hectatone drilling additive product on January 2, 2015, from its Hectatone plant in Fernley, Nevada.
Further, Western Lithium has re-commenced lithium demonstration plant activities in Germany starting January 5. The lithium demonstration plant would be used to test equipment and design parameters in 2015. Moreover, design activities for a lithium hydroxide plant are around fifty percent complete to finalize the design of Western Lithium's proprietary lithium hydroxide circuit for the production of high quality lithium product.
Western Lithium USA Ships First Order of Hectatone Drilling Additive Product
Published on January 7, 2015 at 4:03 AM
Western Lithium USA Corporation ("Western Lithium", the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has shipped its first order of Hectatone™ drilling additive product on January 2, 2015, from its Hectatone™ plant in Fernley, Nevada.
The montmorillonite based product is an organophilic viscosifier commonly used in the drilling industry as an efficient and economical product for viscosity control, emulsion stability, fluid loss and solids suspension in oil based drilling fluids. The product was made to specifications requested by Western Lithium's Houston based distributor Raw Materials Corporation. Production based samples have now been sent to other potential customers that have expressed an interest in the purchase of this product.
"Our team put in a significant effort over the holidays to achieve steady-state operations at our Hectatone™ plant so that we could start the new year with production," said Western Lithium's CEO, Jay Chmelauskas. "Our focus at Hectatone™ for 2015 will now turn to production, service, sales, and research."
Frank B. Wright Jr., President of Hectatone™ further stated that "Now that the plant is operational, we plan to manufacture other Hectatone™ products in the weeks and months ahead as potential customers begin to recognize Hectatone™ as a reliable supplier with a state-of-the-art facility, high performance competitive products, and service that is focused on the drilling industry."
The ramp up of the Hectatone™ plant located in Fernley, Nevada was successful during December 2014, to achieve steady state operations and to make product to industry specifications. Additional plant modifications and operational procedural improvements are still expected over the coming months to meet nameplate capacity. The plant is currently operating with a crew for one shift.
Western Lithium has re-commenced lithium demonstration plant activities in Germany starting January 5th. The lithium demonstration plant will be used to continue to test equipment and design parameters in 2015. In addition, design activities for a lithium hydroxide plant are approximately fifty percent complete to finalize the design of Western Lithium's proprietary lithium hydroxide circuit for the production of high quality lithium product. The Company expects to test its lithium hydroxide circuit as part of its lithium demonstration plant campaign in 2015.
Source: http://www.westernlithium.com/
Shares of Western Lithium USA Corp (TSE:WLC) appreciated hugely by the last call of the day, having gained 0.04 points or 7.55%. In a clear sign of heightened optimism, the price barely dropped below the opening level of 0.54 and shot up to 0.57 in intraday trade. The price closed near the days high at a level of 0.57 amid a volume of 181,579 shares. The counter had closed the previous session at 0.53. From a technical viewpoint, the 30-day moving average of 0.62 and the 60-day moving average of 0.70 are major levels to be watched. The stock price has a 52-week high of 1. All the trading currency is in CAD.
Western Lithium USA (TSX:WLC); current price: $0.55; year-to-date gain: 120.83 percent; 52-week high: $1.
The lithium space received more attention than usual in 2014 due to the news that Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) will be building its lithium-ion battery gigafactory in Nevada. Western, whose Kings Valley lithium project is located in that state, no doubt owes some of its share price movement to that announcement.
That said, the company certainly reported other milestones last year. Indeed, its share price started to take off at the beginning of the year — long before Tesla revealed the gigafactory’s location — after Western initiated a lithium demonstration plant for Kings Valley and received environmental assessment approval for the project. Since then the company has gone on to start up the demonstration plant; it’s also signed a distribution agreement for US regional sales of its Hectatone(TM) products, and most recently said it’s ramping up production of those products.
Is there a date for the first Income report on drilling mud? And is there any information on out side founding for the building and location of the lithium processing plant if the Germany plant is effective.
if you can remove my post not containing to wlcdf please do. or If can do it from my end i will try.
I been reading the Can Slim book and I study Ichimoku Kinko Hyo charting and candle stick charts but I still find it very subjective.I have fidelity active trader pro.using MACD and o ther tools on there.I have been able to stay in the positive on the game wall street survivor.I just really need more training.Any programs or software websites or books you would advice?
thanks man sorry for using this board that info was helpful.I need step back from trading for a few more months of training i thought i was doing good till I got spanked on some trades I let ride no stop loss lucky for me I am still ok.
optt will it get above 1.00
shipping lithium to the new Tesla's Gigafactory will factor into there buying of materials.If you look at the location of the man suppliers of lithium on this link http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lithium/mcs-2013-lithi.pdf
There is a major cost to ship from them locations. Tesla is focused on being able reduce the cost of there battery packs by at least a third.
With the oil price lower this should help Tesla during the construction of gigafactory , earth moving concrete building materials all will benefit from lower oil prices.
Lower gas prices I dont think factor into there car sale price.When you can buy a direct drive EV that goes 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds for under 35000 dollars I do not think anyone will car about saving a tree or the Ozone.
With Western Lithium only 200 miles from the plant the cost to ship 1 Ton of lithium is at least a third less than these other location.
Now also drilling mud and saving money.cost of the drilling fluid is typically about 5 to 10% (may vary greatly) of the total cost of drilling a well, and demands competent mud engineers. Large cost savings result when the mud engineer and fluid performs adequately.
Starting to sell Hectatone listed on line sheet.Also with price of oil lower fuel cost will effect operational budgets during mining and shipping. construction of Tesla battery plant should benefit.
http://www.raw-materials.com/suppliers.php
I did so more reading last night and that stock i was looking at changed it name to like RB Energy and from the looks of there message board is going threw some hard times.Information is very helpful when looking the big picture of how planing can turn for the worst even for any company.I been wrong lots of times on my research charts marriages job choices and amount of beer consumption many times hopefully I learn from them.And even tho I find one of these guys poster a bit lamentable the Information has some true Info.I think if you adjusted your posting approach with some humility It could be pleasant to read.
And the OVERLORD was a game name when i played Warcraft online number 1 guild for 2 years on my server 2007 to 2009 thank you warcraft and blizzard for my divorce do to gaming addiction.
disclaimer I am addicted of all things and am Long on WLCDF
STRONG BUY
I was looking at these after work today thinking to myself what is this company worth price per share down the road ?
If all works out and we do not get wiped out by solar flare or chucked out by the local cups lol.
I feel good about the direction of this stock.I have bought at .30 .40 .52 .71 .77 and sold .81 .71 bought again at .55 .46 I would sell again if it hits .71 and then re buy at .77 .
That might be stupid I do not know I work out side in the cold winter cleaning catch Basins from ice and rain, so what i do with my bucks its on me.
I like the story behind this company.looking at the pictures of some waste land in the middle of nothing but a crap view sorry NV but you could test a nuclear bomb there i do not care not my yard.
And there is a American dream being tied into this waste land with Tesla to the south and west and oil drilling mud to the east.and us a bunch of regular fellow humans on the Internet sharing are same dream and desire to follow a hunch a chart a story a hope the same dream.
http://www.westernlithium.com/project
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kitconews/2013/02/14/canadas-first-lithium-producer-ramping-up-to-full-production-by-year-end/
Keep this in mind when looking at charts.
RENO, NEVADA, USA
Western Lithium USA Corporation (“Western Lithium”, the “Company”) (TSX:WLC) (OTCQX:WLCDF) is pleased to announce that it has, today, closed the previously-announced bought deal offering with Dundee Securities Ltd., on behalf of a syndicate including Haywood Securities Inc. (together, the “Underwriters”), with RK Equity Capital Markets LLC acting as a U.S. Placement Agent. The offering consisted of 15,870,000 units of the Company (the “Units”) at a price of CDN$0.58 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of CDN$9,204,600 (the “Offering”), which includes those Units issued on the exercise in full by the Underwriters of their over-allotment option.
Each Unit consists of one common share (“Share”) of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Share at a price of CDN$0.75 for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering. The Units were offered in all provinces of Canada (except Quebec) by way of a short form prospectus.
The Company’s current cash balance is approximately CDN$16.6 million after giving effect to the net proceeds of the Offering of approximately CDN$8.4 million. The Company intends to use the funds available to it for the completion of the organoclay manufacturing plant in Nevada, which is scheduled for commissioning in the fall of 2014, the procurement of the equipment and operation of the Lithium Demonstration Plant in Germany in the fourth quarter of 2014 and for working capital and general corporate purposes.
This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the Unites States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements.
Powering the future: the Nevada desert's hidden gem.
hello posters I been following this company for years I am just department public works regular guy.And a former over the road truck driver who has been all over the us,but I know this much this stock penny or not has been very good to me. here is some links this last few weeks I like.
http://www.mynews4.com/news/story/Powering-the-future-the-Nevada-deserts-hidden-gem/8cYzL28OnU6ega3DHtQGYw.cspx
http://www.businessinsider.com/teslas-cto-wants-to-take-batteries-to-a-new-dimension-2014-12
http://www.rgj.com/story/money/business/2014/11/15/union-questions-tesla-gigfactory-contracting-construction-schedule/19111337/
after watching my Patriots get there butts handed to them I think I am going to research housing in Nevada, does that state have a football team lol maybe WLCDF AND TESLA can Build NFL team for the weekends out there. :{ Pats
There is good information and bad information. Every investor has to decipher in order to find out, in the famous words of Kenny Rogers. "You got to know when to hold em, know when to walk away." I believe, never marry your favorite stock. When it's too late, you're already divorced and left with nothing. With OTC, PINK etc., we don't always get the big picture. Like a mail away bride before you meet her.
ps.. Thanks Bill for the good posts.
yes very true I was in this stock at .30 .42 .52 and I thought about adding at .71 that seems like the next base been swing trading the every on news every time killing profits off this info its been like shutting fish in a barrel.
Orion Mine Finance owns 20,324,500 Shares of Western Lithium representing approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Shares. Subject to availability, price, the general state of the capital markets and the financial condition of Western Lithium from time to time, Orion Mine Finance may purchase or sell securities of Western Lithium. The investment by Orion Mine Finance completes the terms of a sales and voting agreement between Concordia and Western Lithium, whereby Concordia agreed to dispose of its interest in Western Lithium to certain strategic investors approved by Western Lithium.
In addition to its equity interest, Orion Mine Finance holds a gross royalty on all production from Western Lithium's Kings Valley Project. It will consist of a gross revenue royalty of 8% until funding tranches have been repaid. The royalty will then be reduced to 4% for the life of the projects.
who has been selling is clear
http://thestockmarketwatch.com/stock/stock-data.aspx?stock=WLCDF&a=showInsiders
how long will it take to shake out there pockets is the big ? I am waiting for real news from western lithium on pricing and sales of there drilling muds and it would be nice to see some Income from this first stage. the picture of the one dump truck load of hectatone clay and commissioning crew just leaves be wondering when is the revenues going to be reported.