Lithium-Ion Battery Costs Decline While Global Lithium Market Demand Explodes

PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FinancialNewsMedia.com News Commentary -  The global lithium market is expected to grow in future due to decreasing lithium-ion battery costs, growth in energy storage system, growth in electric vehicles market. Lithium is an alkali metal that is soft, silvery, highly reactive and is used as a heat transfer medium in thermonuclear weapons, batteries, lubricants, various alloys, ceramics, and optical glass. The market was negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. Considering the pandemic scenario, electronic vehicle (EV) and device manufacturing units were on temporary shutdown, which led to a decrease in the consumption of lithium batteries and lithium during the lockdown. However, as the lockdowns were lifted, the EV segment had picked up the pace to meet the target emission standards set by many countries, which may enhance the demand for lithium batteries, and thus, this will stimulate the demand for lithium in the coming years. A report from Market Reports World said that the global Lithium market was valued at US$ 3877.7 in 2020 and will reach US$ 6187.8 million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.1% during 2022-2027.  A separate report from Mordor Intelligence added: "The lithium market size was estimated at 280 kiloton in 2020, and the market is projected to register a CAGR of over 10% during the forecast period (2021-2026). Over the short term, accelerating demand for electric vehicles, increasing usage and demand for lithium-ion batteries by portable consumer electronics, and growing demand for lithium from the glass-making industry to enhance glass melt rate and to lower the viscosity of glass are expected to drive the market's growth in the forecast period."   Active mining stocks in the markets this week include:  ACME Lithium Inc. (OTCQB: ACLHF) (CSE: ACME), Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), Standard Lithium Ltd. (NYSE: SLI) (TSXV: SLI), Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) (TSX: LAC), Millennial Lithium Corp. (OTCQB: MLNLF) (TSXV: ML).

Mordor Intelligence continued: "Electric vehicles have been increasingly used in most developed economies and are fast replacing traditional vehicles. Lithium batteries can be categorized into two segments, namely, disposable and rechargeable. Disposable lithium batteries use lithium in the metallic form as an anode, and these batteries have a long life (high charge density) compared to other standard batteries. Lithium is used in high-energy-density, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which power the batteries in full-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicles (EVs, PEV, and HEVs), respectively. Due to the growth in EV technology, as well as concerns over increased CO2 pollution from combustion engines and rising fuel costs, lithium has been put into widespread use in EV batteries."

ACME Lithium Inc. (OTCQB: ACLHF) (CSE: ACME) BREAKING NEWS:  ACME Lithium Prepares for Drill Program Identifying Multiple Targets After Completing Phase 2 Geophysics Survey at Clayton Valley Lithium Project - ACME Lithium Inc. (the "Company", or "ACME") is pleased to report that it has received positive results for potential lithium-brine from Hasbrouck Geophysics after the Company completed its Phase 2 Hybrid Source Audio-Magnetotellurics (HSAMT) survey at ACME's Clayton Valley Lithium Project. The results of the previous gravity and recent HSAMT surveys have prioritized key drill locations to test for lithium concentrations within groundwater brines. 

ACME's project is contiguous to Albemarle's Silver Peak lithium resource and production facility. Lithium source material and transport mechanisms for ACME's CC, CCP, JR and SX claims are present and could be similar to those that have supplied Clayton Valley lithium-bearing brines and may be conducive to increased lithium-bearing brine concentrations.

Key Highlights of the Hasbrouck Report Include:

• Based on low resistivity values, multiple areas and zones are interpreted to correlate to lithium-brine occurrences in saline rich aquifers or brine saturated pebble gravel.
• The geophysics program consisted of 50 separate HSAMT readings over seven lines covering approximately 9.5 kilometers.
• Three exploratory bore holes are recommended to investigate these anomalies in a large target area of lithium brine potential up to 600 meters.
• Prior borehole sampling close to and east of the claims has found lithium-brine present from 85 meters to the total borehole depth of 370 meters with higher concentrations within pebble gravel. It is unknown if the pebble gravel continues beyond the total depth drilled at the borehole.
• Zones with resistivities less than a 2.5 ohm-meters cut-off, that are interpreted to correlate to zones with increased salinities and/or possible lithium-brine occurrence, are present primarily in the east and southeast portions of the claims area and cover a larger area from near the surface to around 340 meters below ground surface. Zones with those resistivities are still present to approximately 740 meters although areal coverage decreases beyond about 340 meters.
• A small area with resistivities less than about 2.5 ohm-meters is present near the north-central portion of the claims area at depths greater than about 360 meters and extending to approximately 600 meters.

ACME is in the process of securing its drilling contractor, additional technical advisors as well as permits required for a targeted Q1 2022 drill program and will provide further updates as new information comes available.

ACME underscores the brine potential of its claims and based on results, will evaluate processing Lithium Hydroxides utilizing the latest DLE (Direct Lithium Extraction) methodologies, one of which Pure Energy Minerals and strategic investment partner Schlumberger with Panasonic are implementing in Clayton Valley a few miles south of ACME's project.  CONTINUED….  Read this release for the ACME Lithium news at:  https://acmelithium.com/news/     

Other recent mining developments in the markets include:

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) recently announced its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

"Despite supply chain challenges and increased raw material costs last quarter, we continued to deliver solid revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth," said Albemarle CEO Kent Masters. "In October, we achieved first lithium carbonate production at our new La Negra III/IV conversion facility. We are making investments to add significant conversion capacity in China, initially targeting up to 150,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year which will provide high-return growth opportunities aligned with the increasing demand from our customers."

Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) (TSX: LAC) recently announced that it has submitted an unconditional offer to Millennial Lithium Corp. (OTCQB: MLNLF) (TSXV: ML) ("Millennial") to acquire all of the outstanding shares (each, a "Common Share") of Millennial (the "Offer"). Under the terms of the Offer, on closing, each Millennial shareholder ("Millennial Shareholder") will receive C$4.70 per Common Share, payable in Lithium Americas common shares and C$0.001 in cash per Common Share (the "Purchase Price"), representing total consideration of approximately US$400 million. Based on the Company's closing price on October 29, 2021, this consideration would result in Millennial Shareholders owning approximately 9.9% of Lithium Americas.

"In proximity to Caucharí-Olaroz, Millennial's 100%-owned Pastos Grandes lithium brine project represents an attractive regional growth opportunity for Lithium Americas," said Jonathan Evans, President and CEO. "As we bring Caucharí-Olaroz into production over the next year and continue to advance our Stage 2 expansion planning, the addition of this highly complementary lithium brine resource further enhances our long-term growth strategy in Argentina and leverages our technical and development expertise."

Standard Lithium Ltd. (NYSE: SLI) (TSXV: SLI), an innovative technology and lithium project development company, recently reported the positive results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Company's South-West Arkansas (SWA) Lithium Project (the "Project"; previously called the Tetra Project.

Dr. Andy Robinson, President and COO of Standard Lithium commented, "the completion of this PEA for the SWA Lithium Project is an important milestone for Standard Lithium as it begins to showcase the significant potential that is present within the Smackover Formation in southwestern Arkansas. This PEA is the result of a concerted team effort, and we owe considerable thanks to all the team members who have contributed their professional expertise to this study. The ability to showcase this PEA and highlight these attractive project fundamentals is based on the many tens-of-thousands of hours that the broader Standard Lithium team has spent over the past few years proving and derisking our lithium extraction technology at pre-commercial scales. It is because of our large-scale technology proof that we can hope to deploy it, in the future, on our other assets in the region. The attractive potential economics from this PEA support continued effort to de-risk and advance the SWA Project in parallel with the Company's immediate focus, which is to deliver the first new lithium production facility in North America at the Lanxess facilities."

The PEA and updated lithium resource estimate are based on a unitized area of future potential production resulting in 36,172 gross mineral acres (14,638 gross mineral hectares). The PEA considers the production of battery-quality lithium hydroxide averaging 30,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) over a 20-year operating timeframe. The PEA also updates the existing inferred mineral resource.  The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred resources that are considered too speculative to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves and there is no certainty the estimates presented in the PEA will be realized.

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