Australia-listed Infinity Lithium Corp has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the long-term supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide with South Korean lithium-ion battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, the Australian company said on Monday June 28.

Work is under way in Fredrikstad, Norway, to build a plant that will be key to electric vehicle (EV) transportation in Europe.

Volkswagen Group is seeking partnerships with battery raw material producers in order to vertically integrate and achieve security of supply and competitive prices for its minerals needs, a spokesperson for the German automaker told Fastmarkets on Thursday June 17.

Awareness and incorporation of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies within the graphite market are slowly developing, with take-up greater downstream - especially in the anode sector - and among developing companies, sources told Fastmarkets.

China lithium producer Ganfeng Lithium is acquiring a 50% stake in a special purpose company that owns the Goulamina hard-rock mine in Mali for $130 million, the company said on Tuesday June 15.

Bullish sentiment about nickel demand, particularly for electric vehicles, compared with long timeframes needed to increase mine supplies, has driven prices higher. But continuing uncertainties about the future timing and extent of nickel demand and supply growth have created a volatile market, reports Gregory DL Morris.

Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk once described the ongoing use of fossil fuels and their generation of a vast carbon footprint as “the dumbest experiment in human history.”

Mineral sequestration could be used to develop the world’s first-ever carbon-neutral nickel mine, according to the president of Giga Metals Corp, which is developing the Turnagain project in British Columbia, Canada.

Customs officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have backtracked on a decree made just 24 hours earlier and re-approved the export of copper concentrate and cobalt from the country.

Copper's price is trading at all-time highs - and now the countries where it is mined the most want a piece of the action.