DLE Weekly delivers the latest insights on Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies, industry developments, and market trends. Stay tuned to see how DLE is shaping the future of sustainable energy.
DLE Weekly - 7 March 2025
Global Business, BICHEM Group
Mining Giant has Completed its Acquisition
Rio Tinto has completed its acquisition of Arcadium Lithium plc, which makes it now the ultimate parent company of Arcadium Lithium that is now known as Rio Tinto Lithium.
With this acquisition, Rio Tinto is now a major lithium producer with one of the world’s largest lithium resource bases. The company aims to grow the capacity of its Tier1 assets to over 200 thousand tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) by 2028.
Canadian Federal Government Funding was Secured
$3.2 million federal government funding was secured by E3 Lithium for Clearwater Project in Alberta. The funding is part of the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) that aims at providing investment in clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects to enable the sustainable development and expansion of critical minerals in Canada.
The funding to E3 will be used to undertake preconstruction work on transportation and energy infrastructure for the Clearwater lithium brine project, which is Canada’s first lithium-in-brine proven reserves. Earlier this year, the company announced its first production of battery-quality lithium from its demonstration plant.
Trade War could Fast-track Mine Approvals
The current trade tensions are serving as a new push for governments to rethink their regulatory processes around mines. In Canada, for example, it now takes about 17.9 years to build a mine, up from 12.7 years for projects that started 15 years ago, according to S&P Global data released last year. While rising commodities prices have boosted mining’s appeal, permitting delays represent a major stumbling block for miners seeking to raise capital on public markets.
Miners “are making money. The sector is investable,” says the head of global mining and metals investment banking.
World’s Leading Investment Firm Invest in Lithium Project
Lithium Americas announced a strategic investment of $250 million from fund entities managed by Orion Resource Partners LP, a leading global investment firm dedicated to metals and materials, which is expected to achieve fully funded status at the project and corporate level for the development and construction of Phase 11 of the Thacker Pass lithium project in Humboldt County, Nevada for the duration of construction. Completion of Thacker Pass Phase 1 is targeted for late 2027.
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