Vulcan Energy granted a license for lithium mining
A new license allows lithium extraction to proceed, adding potential supply of lithium feedstock.
Source →The trace
How it reaches your house.
Starting from Cobalt and battery minerals, we walked the supply graph hop by hop to the goods you buy and the companies you own. Each step is the engine’s reasoning, scored for confidence and cited where a source backs it.
First impact
Cobalt and battery minerals →supply upLithium Hydroxide (Battery Grade)
The new permit is an enabling step for lithium extraction, so this critical battery-grade lithium input should become more available, albeit only gradually as the project ramps.
74% confidenceArcadium Lithium plc (Rio Tinto acquisition 2024) →supply upLithium carbonate / lithium hydroxide
Vulcan's new mining license should eventually add lithium feedstock supply, modestly easing Arcadium's lithium carbonate/hydroxide input availability, though the effect is limited by pre-production timing and non-sole sourcing.
57% confidenceMineral Resources Limited (MinRes) →Prices easeHop 2
Lithium Carbonate →Prices easeAustralia's large share of lithium carbonate supply makes it highly exposed to global price pressure from the added supply.
88% confidenceLithium Carbonate →Prices easeSQMSQM
Added lithium carbonate supply can दब pressure lithium prices, hurting SQM as a large incumbent supplier.
87% confidenceLithium Carbonate →Prices easeChile is a major supplier, so extra lithium carbonate supply should weaken prices and revenues there.
Hop 3
Australia →supply upAustralia supplies 46% of global lithium carbonate, so a new mining license there can meaningfully increase lithium carbonate feedstock supply.
91% confidenceChile →supply upChile supplies 30% of lithium carbonate, so a new Chilean lithium mining license should raise lithium carbonate availability.
84% confidenceChile →supply upLithium Hydroxide (Battery Grade)
Chile supplies 15% of battery-grade lithium hydroxide, so expanded Chilean lithium extraction should increase hydroxide supply as well.
Where it lands
What you buy, and what you own.
Goods you buy
Lithium-ion batteries · Cobalt and battery minerals
In the MyPRIA app, this is checked against your own holdings.