Tag: kidman resources

Lithium Rush in the Goldfields

Lithium Rush in the Goldfields

BY ELIZABETH FABRI GOLD and nickel have been the lifeblood of WA’s Goldfields region for 125 years. But this is about to change – newcomer lithium is taking a seat at the table as demand for battery metals signals new opportunities in downstream processing. Neometals' plan to build a 10,000 tonnes per annum lithium hydroxide production facility moved a step closer after it inked a deal to sub-lease a site in West Kalgoorlie for the refinery in early June. The proposed 40 hectare property is 5km from Kalgoorlie, and only 70km from its Mt Marion lithium operation, which is jointly owned with majority partner Mineral Resources. The site’s proximity is a huge shot in the arm for...

Kidman’s landmark Tesla deal

Kidman’s landmark Tesla deal

BY CAMERON DRUMMOND LITHIUM developer Kidman Resources is the first Australian miner to sign an offtake agreement with Elon Musk’s Tesla. Kidman entered into a binding agreement to supply lithium hydroxide to the electric vehicle maker over an initial three year term on a fixed price, take-or-pay basis. Kidman and Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), under their Western Australia Lithium (WAL) 50:50 joint venture, are building a lithium hydroxide plant in Kwinana, south of Perth, to process spodumene concentrate from their Mt Holland hard rock lithium project. According to Kidman, the Tesla offtake deal equates to less than 25 per cent of Kidman’s proportion of output from the proposed 44,000tpa refinery. Other commercial terms of the...

Commodity Focus: Lithium

Commodity Focus: Lithium

Image: Tesla. By Cameron Drummond ONE of the best performing commodities of 2016 was undoubtedly lithium, burgeoned by Tesla Motor’s construction of a lithium-ion battery gigafactory in the Nevada desert, which it fired up in the first week of this year. Tesla, partnering with Japanese electronics company Panasonic, predicts that the factory will be producing 35 gigawatts (GW) of lithium-ion batteries each year by 2018 for use in electric vehicles (EV’s) and energy storage systems – double the rest of the world’s current production rate. Lithium has a range of commercial and industrial uses, such as the manufacture of glassware and ceramics; though by far the fastest growing application is for batteries. Technological advancements in battery-making had seen the spot...