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Category Archives: Metals

#Nickel demand for #EVs to outpace #lithium and #cobalt

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

As a key component of battery cathode chemistry in many existing and upcoming electric vehicles (EVs), nickel will remain an important metal to watch in the coming decade, market analyst Fitch Solutions maintains in its latest industry report.

Impact of EV battery manufacturing on nickel consumption and now expects nickel demand for EV battery manufacturing to experience an annual average growth rate of 29% over 2021-2030, outpacing both lithium and cobalt demand, the analyst says.

The analyst also maintains the underlying assumption that NMC 811 cathodes will rise to 80.0% of NMC market share by 2027, which will effectively raise the average nickel content from 34.6kg to 44.5kg for each NMC cathode produced.

Automakers such as BMW, Hyundai and Renault use the NMC chemistry in their vehicles.

NMC cathodes once featured equal proportions of nickel, manganese, and cobalt, a blend called NMC 111. Over time, battery makers have increased nickel and reduced cobalt, using thermal management systems and electronics that regulate charging and discharging to reduce degradation of the cathode material. The latest generation of this formulation, with an 8:1:1 ratio of nickel to manganese to cobalt.

European Commission: Electric Cars Will Cost More Using Ethically Sourced Batteries

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

The European Union’s efforts to ethically source a key battery metal face headwinds that could make it more expensive for automakers to go electric.

“If, as proposed by the European Commission, due diligence on cobalt supply chain will be mandatory for batteries sold in the EU markets in the near future, the demand for responsibly sourced cobalt will increase rapidly,” the study prepared by the EU’s Joint Research Centre said.

But those “ambitious requirements might currently be too difficult,” according to an assessment prepared by researchers advising the European Commission. The report, which will be published by Elsevier Ltd.’s Resources Policy journal in June, suggests a tightening market for responsibly-sourced cobalt.

By 2030, EU economies need to secure more than 64,000 tons of ethically-sourced cobalt beyond existing supply-chain constraints, a volume of metal worth around $3.2 billion at current prices, to fuel the transition to electric vehicles. The run on the metal’s price is prompting mining companies to seek new reserves from Australia to the deep sea.

#Ontario seeks to capitalise on growing demand for critical minerals

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

The Ontario government is developing its first-ever critical minerals strategy to help generate investment, increase the province’s competitiveness in the global market, and support its transition to a low-carbon economy.

Metals

#Tesla or #Tsingshan: #nickel market at crossroads

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Nickel buyers on the London Metal Exchange (LME) got a taste of this feeling at the end of February. The metal’s price dived from almost $20,000 (£14,500) a tonne (t) in the last week of February to just over $16,100/t by the first week of March.

Chinese steelmaker Tsingshan sent shockwaves through the mining industry when it announced (according Reuters) it had signed a deal to supply two battery manufacturers with 100,000 tonnes of nickel matte. Some context is needed for this to make sense as news that could knock 20 per cent off the nickel price.

This Tsingshan deal effectively sees the company promise to fill class 1 demand with class 2 supply, possibly removing the price gap and supply concerns. Nickel matte, which Tsingshan is selling, is the last step in a lot of processing that sees Tsingshan’s laterite ore turned to nickel pig iron, then into nickel matte, which can be then processed into pure nickel as needed by the battery makers. This isn’t just sending the ore around the plant a few more times, this process will add cost and the carbon footprint compared to class 1 nickel supply.

Metals

#bloomberg: World’s Top #Nickel Producer, #indonesia, Sets Out End-to-End Battery Ambition

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Indonesia laid down its plans to have a complete battery production line onshore, with a state-owned holding firm to be set up by June.

The country has drafted an “end-to-end development” plan that would see four state firms supplying nickel ore, processing nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate, and then producing cathodes and batteries, Agus Tjahajana, who heads the task force on electric-vehicle development, said in a Thursday seminar.

Resource-rich Indonesia, home to a quarter of the world’s nickel reserves, has set its sights on moving up the supply chain to become a global hub for battery-making. The surge in demand for batteries, used to power everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles, has become a tailwind for Southeast Asia’s largest economy as it seeks a way out of a recession.

Top Battery Makers Discuss $20 Billion Indonesia EV Plans (1)

#Forbes: It Might Take A Long Time For The U.S. To Become Self-Sufficient In Rare Earth Materials

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Once again the U.S. is faced with the potential of restricted access to rare earth elements. The President ordered a supply chain review examining U.S. reliance on overseas sources for semiconductors, rare earth elements, batteries, and pharmaceuticals. China is the global leader in mining, refining, and component manufacturing of products that use rare earth elements, so in the face of escalating tensions between the two countries, many U.S. manufacturers might be vulnerable.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the U.S. led the world in research on rare earths, but by the 1980s funding for the chemistry, separation technology, and processing was reduced. Low-pricing from China made U.S. mining and processing uncompetitive, and the Mountain Pass mine was closed in the 1990s, only to be reopened in 2013 after China restricted supplies.

The biggest challenge, as always, is economics. In the past when the U.S. (and Japan) faced threats to the supply of rare earth minerals, there was a rush to develop alternatives. But once the threat passed and prices from China dropped, alternative sources lost their appeal. That is also the case now. The real question is whether domestic sources will be economically sustainable over time.

Could the U.S. become self-sufficient again?

Metals

#Canada could be top player in global EV battery market

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/science-data/science-research/earth-sciences/earth-sciences-resources/earth-sciences-federal-programs/canadian-mineral-production/17722

Canada has a sizeable opportunity to become one of the world’s leaders in the lithium-ion battery market, but that potential needs to be recognized and nurtured by regulators and miners, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence director Simon Moores told the House of Commons on Monday.

Moores, who joined a parliamentary discussion on Canada’s role in building a domestic and global lithium-ion battery ecosystem, said the combination of natural resources and a highly-skilled workforce should make it easy for the country to create a sustainable value chain for battery materials.

Canada is rich in lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, aluminum and manganese, key ingredients for advanced battery manufacturing and storage technology.