Post by pling on Dec 20, 2015 22:58:05 GMT
Fra afr.com 27. oktober 2015
Lithium prices tipped to rise 20 per cent by 2017 on demand for electric cars
- Prices for lithium are forecast to rise strongly in the next two years, with widespread adoption of electric cars tipped to be a game changer for the third element on the periodic table.
- Citi is very bullish about electric cars, and forecasts production of pure electric models (not hybrids) like the Nissan Leaf or the Tesla Model S to rise from about 150,000 in 2015 to about 290,000 in 2016.
- By 2020, Citi expects 1.04 million electric cars to be in production, implying sevenfold growth over five years.
- Electric vehicles account for about 6 per cent of lithium carbonate demand but would be 30 per cent of demand by 2020 under Mr Schembri's numbers.
- As with most commodities, Australia is likely to supply lithium to global markets. This is likely to come from the mining and processing of spodumene, a hard rock lithium-bearing mineral found in Western Australia and elsewhere.
- Mr Schembri said spodumene mining was typically a more expensive but faster approach compared with the traditional sourcing of lithium, which is by extracting lithium-rich brine concentrate from beneath salt lakes.
- Mr Schembri said the brine extraction model was most commonly available in South American nations such as Argentina and Chile, which were likely to dominate the global supply of lithium longer term.
- But in the near term, rising demand offers an opportunity for spodumene miners to get a foothold in the market while prices are strong.
Lithium prices tipped to rise 20 per cent by 2017 on demand for electric cars
- Prices for lithium are forecast to rise strongly in the next two years, with widespread adoption of electric cars tipped to be a game changer for the third element on the periodic table.
- Citi is very bullish about electric cars, and forecasts production of pure electric models (not hybrids) like the Nissan Leaf or the Tesla Model S to rise from about 150,000 in 2015 to about 290,000 in 2016.
- By 2020, Citi expects 1.04 million electric cars to be in production, implying sevenfold growth over five years.
- Electric vehicles account for about 6 per cent of lithium carbonate demand but would be 30 per cent of demand by 2020 under Mr Schembri's numbers.
- As with most commodities, Australia is likely to supply lithium to global markets. This is likely to come from the mining and processing of spodumene, a hard rock lithium-bearing mineral found in Western Australia and elsewhere.
- Mr Schembri said spodumene mining was typically a more expensive but faster approach compared with the traditional sourcing of lithium, which is by extracting lithium-rich brine concentrate from beneath salt lakes.
- Mr Schembri said the brine extraction model was most commonly available in South American nations such as Argentina and Chile, which were likely to dominate the global supply of lithium longer term.
- But in the near term, rising demand offers an opportunity for spodumene miners to get a foothold in the market while prices are strong.