My guest is Cormac O'Laoire, PhD the Managing Director of Electrios Consultants.
We have a far ranging discussion on the rise of China in the lithium-ion battery space. We cover how China out competed their formerly stronger rivals in Japan and Korea and discuss the current and future state of batteries, NEVs and BESS.
Given recent events we also cover lepidolite in Yichun and brine in Qinghai.
This is a solo episode where I share some thoughts regarding why I think the recent "lithium winter" is over. I believe price has bottomed and a new upward cycle has begun.
Jesse Edmondson and Arthur Orduña are playing key roles in shaping the future of lithium production and the broader battery supply chain in Arkansas.
Together, they bring deep experience and a shared mission: to put Arkansas squarely on the global lithium map.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why major players like Exxon, Equinor, and Chevron have chosen Arkansas for their first lithium investments
How a small startup like Standard Lithium partnered with a Norwegian oil major—and why that collaboration makes strategic sense
How Arkansas is leveraging the Smackover Formation to build a full lithium-ion battery ecosystem through initiatives like the Arkansas Lithium Innovation Accelerator and other emerging programs
Why making cathode materials in Arkansas isn’t just possible—it’s practical
I also extend a direct invitation to Korean battery makers to partner for cathode production in Arkansas
This is a uniquely American story—about innovation, energy, and new beginnings in unexpected places.
Stick around for Rapid Fire.
Sam Pigott is the CEO of Lithium Argentina. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Fastmarkets event In Las Vegas
Topics:
Sam's backstory
Status of Cauchari
Relationship with Ganfeng
The JV model with Ganfeng
Building 150K MT of new capacity in Salta Province
Areas of focus
Long-term supply challenges
Leveraging DLE for lower cost
Product optionality
Growing as a leader
Infrastructure needs in Argentina
The talent pool
Local politics
Success factors
Sam's recent China visit
Rapid fire
My guests are Summit Nanotech CEO Amanda Hall and President Joe Arencibia.
Topics:
Being a troublemaker
Defining DLE
DLE " flavors"
Amanda's "rules" for Summit
Complexity vs scale
Water usage
Recovery rates
Surviving in a down market
Standing out vs competitors
Chinese competition
DLE in 2030
What's next?
Rapid fire
A solo episode with comments on the royalty hearing in Arkansas this week, SQM's earnings call and a "doom & gloom" analyst call "Down Under".
Yuan Gao is one of the most experienced voices in the lithium ion battery world with more than a quarter century of experience across countries, companies and technologies.
Topics:
Reasons behind CATL & BYD's success
The China battery ecosystem
"Dare to gamble"
Is battery success possible in North America?
Cathode developments
Comparing China's cost structure to ROW
The CATL "playbook"Leveraging vertical integration to lower lithium prices
Price expectations
The cost curve
Sodium ion leverage?
Solid state batteries
Lithium metal batteries
Rapid fire
Carlos Galli is the VP of Growth & Innovation at Lithium Argentina. He is a global expert in lithium brine technology.
Topics:
Argentina's growing competitiveness in lithium
The arrival of "big balance sheets" in the Puna
Lithium's need for transparency
Learnings from China
Battery/cathode tech
The China lithium reprocessing industry
Is lithium chloride the "NBT"?
The partnership with Ganfeng
The DLE demo plant
Advantages of solvent of extraction
Why ponds with DLE make sense
Cauchari update
Teamwork
Why companies struggle with DLE
Rapid fire
Carlos Vicens is the founder and CEO of Full Circle Lithium, a company that has developed an effective fire extinguishing agent for lithium fires.
As the world moves to electric transportation and large scale BESS (battery energy storage systems) the risk to life and property from lithium fires has grown exponentially. Full Circle Lithium believes their FCL-X product is a viable solution to the problem.
Topics:
How significant an issue are lithium fires?
Why lithium fires are so challenging to extinguish
The team
Partnerships
The regulatory environment
Should lithium fires have a special classification?
Fire tests
How FCL-X works
Training fire departments
Playing with (lithium) fire
Next steps
Austin Devaney has a wealth of lithium experience from a decade with Rockwood/Albemarle, his time with Piedmont Lithium and his new advisory business: Li7 Charged.
Topics:
The state of the industry
Supply/demand
China's price strategy
The importance of Rio Tinto's entry
The rush to Africa
A "China build" vs the West
The new cost curve
The future of US lithium
Cathode (ex China)
Elon drama
Albemarle's woes
What is the incentive price?
Rapid fire
Dr Frank Jackel is the co-founder and Managing Director of Metals Hub (metals-hub.com @metals-hub on X).
Metals Hub is a leading software solutions provider that optimizes procurement processes.
One of the most significant issues facing the lithium industry is lack of clarity on pricing. Metals Hub is part of the solution to that problem.
I have no financial interest in Metals Hub. Nor was I compensated for having them on the podcast.
Topics:
What Metals Hub does
The need for price transparency
Albemarle - the first lithium client
The mechanics of a lithium sales event
Benefits to clients beyond auctions
The trend toward spot pricing
The advantage of being based outside China
Providing a level of trust in the market
When will the lithium market mature?
The future influence of AI
Rapid fire
This is a solo episode answering listener questions. I also discuss what I learned at a recent conference in Florida.
Andy Leyland (@andyleyland1 on X) is the founder and MD of Supply Chain Insights (@insights_SC on X). Supply Chain Insights is a leading advisory firm on all things related to the lithium ion battery supply chain.
Topics:
State of the LIB supply chain
China vs the rest of the world
Battery demand growth in 2025
Korea's bet on the US
Is LFP "the answer" for North America?
President Trump and critical metals
Market "reset" or "new normal"
CATL's lepidolite restart
Price in 2025 and beyond
The incentive price for western projects
Contracts: the latest trends
The cost curve
Conversion projects ex China
The change industry structure (Rio, Exxon, etc)
The futures market
The first episode of 2025 is a double episode covering the two most significant demand drivers of lithium: electric transportation and battery energy storage systems. My guests are two experts in their respective fields: Tu Le from Sino Auto Insights and Henrique Ribeiro from S&P Global.
Topics:
State of the NEV market
The rise of PHEVs
Autonomous vehicles
Zeekr (Geely) & Waymo
Top Chinese NEV companies
Tariffs
Tesla
Thinning the herd
Legacy OEMs: who survives?
FSD
Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
BESS impact on lithium demand
The economics of BESS
Sodium ion: not ready for prime time
How real is battery "second life"?
BESS in 2030
Daniel Jimenez and I discuss the following topics based on listener questions:
2024 Surprises
Lithium demand
Trends in EV adoption
PHEVs
BESS growth
The incentive price
The cost curve
Inventory
Rio - Arcadium
Africa's potential
Price
VW - Patriot
Canada
Argentina
Ex China conversion
LFP
The "Trump" impact
Rapid fire
This episode takes a deep dive into the Lithium Americas Thacker Pass project .
My guests are LAC GM Hugh Broadhurst and R&D Manager Ryan Ravenelle.
Topics:
What makes Thacker Pass special?
Working with a major mining partner
The significance of the Reno Tech Center
Benefits of being in a “mining” state
Product specifications
The Team
Infrastructure
Logistics
The “Goldilocks” sulfuric acid plant
Sustainability
Community support
The project timeline
Challenges
The cost curve
Rapid fire
Dale Henderson (@henderson_dale on X) is the Managing Director & CEO of Pilbara Minerals. I was honored to have him join me for the 200th episode.
Topics:
Pilbara’s four strategic pillars
The wild ride for lithium (& Pilbara)
Swing supply created by 2022 pricing
The steepening cost curve
Unsustainable pricing in 2024
The coming shortage
Continuing to be nimble
Managing through volatility
The POSCO JV & other world class partners
Where Pilbara sits on the cost curve
Growth and the Latin Resources acquisition
The arrival of big balance sheets to lithium
Brazil as a lithium jurisdiction
Keeping the team motivated
Two questions from Dale
Rapid fire
Dan Blondal aka "the man with one tweet" is the CEO of Nano One (TSX: NANO / OTC: NNOMF).
Topics:
A world class suite of partners
The battery challenge
Why ex China cathode capacity matters
China's current LFP dominance
Why the west has to do LFP differently
The importance of ESS as a catalyst
"Design one - build many"
Will Japan make a battery comeback?
The importance of the DOD investment
Staying the course
Rapid fire
The majority of this episode is a presentation I made at the Panorama Minero "Lithium South America" event in Jujuy, Argentina on October 9, 2024. The presentation starts at ~ minute 23. The episode begins with a interview with Alejandro Columbo from Panorama Minero. We discuss what Panorama Minero does and how this event has grown over the last decade to global significance.
My presentation "Lithium's Bright Future" also includes a discussion of the history of the industry and how the west's failure to act early in the last decade allowed China to become the current dominant player in lithium ion batteries and EVs. Yet the past isn't necessarily prologue.
My favorite event on the annual lithium calendar is Panorama Minero's "Lithium South America". My guests on this episode are Daniel Jimenez of iLi Markets, Roland Chavasse of the International Lithium Association and JP Vargas the MD of Galan Lithium.
