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The new company, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd — incorporated in August, 2019 by three state-owned companies, NALCO, Hindustan Copper and Mineral Exploration Ltd, with a specific mandate to acquire strategic mineral assets such as lithium and cobalt abroad — is also learnt to be exploring options in Chile and Bolivia, two other top lithium-producing countries.

Currently, India is heavily dependent on import of these cells and the move to ink sourcing pacts for lithium is seen as another salvo in the front against China, a key source of both the raw material and cells. India is seen as a late mover as it attempts to enter the lithium value chain, coming at a time when EVs are predicted to be a sector ripe for disruption. And 2021 is likely to be an inflection point for battery technology, with several potential improvements to the Li-ion technology, and alternatives to this tried-and-tested formulation, under advanced stages of commercialization.

Read more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-relation-argentina-lithium-reserves-economic-growth-rate-7131626/

(Reuters) – The pandemic aid and spending package signed by US President Donald Trump last Sunday includes more than $800 million to fund rare earths and strategic minerals research, spending that mining companies say will help counteract China’s dominance over the sector.

The bill requires better geological studies of federal lands, funds studies into the processing and recycling of rare earths, and supports improvements to mining education programs.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/instant-article/idUSKBN29424R

A Japanese company and Kyoto University have joined forces to develop what they hope will be the world’s first satellites made out of wood by 2023.

Sumitomo Forestry said it has started research on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space.

The partnership will begin experimenting with different types of wood in extreme environments on Earth.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55463366

Apple Inc is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-autos-exclusive/exclusive-apple-targets-car-production-by-2024-and-eyes-next-level-battery-technology-sources-idUSKBN28V2PY

Investments in a cleaner, more interconnected grid are significant job creators: CapX2020 alone created 8,000 construction jobs. ACEG’s study finds expanding and modernizing the Eastern U.S. transmission grid would create 1 million new net electricity sector jobs by 2030 and 6.5 million new net jobs by 2050, spread broadly over the entire region.

Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2020/12/15/how-biden-can-unleash-78-trillion-investment-and-create-6-million-jobs-by-expanding-the-grid/?sh=401176674e90

Click to access Consumer-Employment-and-Environmental-Benefits-of-Transmission-Expansion-in-the-Eastern-U.S.pdf

 

Nickel hit a 14-month high in London and scaled a contract peak in Shanghai on Monday, on higher stainless steel prices in China and concerns about supply.

Three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange rose 2.8% to $17,775 a tonne, the highest since Oct. 11, 2019.

The most-active February nickel contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange climbed 3.4% to 133,190 yuan ($20,376.04) a tonne, advancing for a sixth consecutive session.

Shanghai stainless steel futures jumped more than 3% in early trade.

Nickel and other base metals in London were also supported by investors turning cautiously optimistic over prospects of an additional U.S. economic stimulus and the extended E.U.-U.K. trade talks.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/global-metals-idUSL4N2IU05U

One of the most important limiting factors for telemedicine is connectivity. Due to the same degree of distance that causes healthcare shortages in rural areas, these locations often also lack reliable and high-speed internet connections—the kind that is needed to support stable telemedicine applications and platforms.

This is where Starlink could potentially become a game-changer. If the Starlink service can indeed provide high-speed broadband internet services to rural populations, it may resolve yet another piece of the puzzle in increasing access-to-care in underserved communities. Furthermore, the applications of this technology are endless and go far beyond the American paradigm of rural healthcare. Starlink’s concept, if proven to be scalable and effective, may be able to one day provide internet worldwide, providing the opportunity for underserved communities across the globe to receive much needed medical attention.

Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2020/11/27/elon-musks-starlink-may-potentially-revolutionize-healthcare/?sh=3a76d0c31e03

(CNN) – NASA engineers have begun assembling the massive rocket designed to take the first woman to the moon later this decade as part of the Artemis program. The first booster segment of the Space Launch System (SLS) was stacked on top of the mobile launcher at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier this week in preparation for its maiden flight, NASA said Tuesday. A total of 10 segments will form the twin solid rocket boosters before its first liftoff, which is expected to take place next year. The rocket is a key part of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, which aims to send the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024. NASA officials also hope the SLS will be used to reach Mars and other “deep space destinations.”

Read more at: https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/25/americas/nasa-sls-moon-rocket-assembly-scn-trnd/index.html