Three reasons to attend the Fastmarkets Asian Battery Materials Conference 2023 

Market volatility coupled with global demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage capacity, means market participants need clarity on the challenges that lie ahead.

The Fastmarkets Asian Battery Materials Conference is your opportunity to learn more about the factors affecting battery material supply chains, updates on the latest battery chemistry innovations and extraction techniques and the chance to network with participants across the supply chain.

Here are three reasons you need to attend this May’s Asian Battery Materials Conference 2023.

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1. Tackle the security of battery material supply

With demand for the battery materials that power EVs continuing to exceed supply, it is becoming critical that auto and battery makers focus on securing long-term supply. While current and new projects, as well as recycling capacity, will play a critical role in mitigating supply deficits in the next 10 years, there is a real concern if these sources will be efficient and effective enough to feed EV demand.  

Asia has been the dominant force in the EV battery race, but the question will be whether it can maintain this position as Europe and the US begin to build their own centers.

This year’s conference will give attendees the chance to hear from those with a wealth of experience in the market. Experts will discuss how to tackle challenges across the battery material supply chain and the best ways to reduce supply chain disruption risks.

On the agenda: 

• Executive keynote panel discussion: ‘The future of Asia’s EV battery supply chains’ from Walter Czarnecki, CCO of Livent and Chaitan Kansal, CMO of Albemarle  
• ‘The lithium ecosystem: building resilience in regional supply chains’, with Kevin Chan, vice president commercial, APAC, Albemarle 
• ‘Solving the shortage of lithium supply’ with Daniel Jimenez, managing partner iLi Markets, Jingtai Lun, Asia non-ferrous editor at Fastmarkets, Hideki Ozawa, global VP Business Management, lithium hydroxide, Albemarle and Chris Gale, managing director of Latin Resources Limited 

2. Access to forecasts and outlooks for all key materials  

Sessions will include price data and outlooks for lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite, as well as insights into the risks high prices could bring for the future of EVs and strategies for managing price fluctuations.

With the past year seeing huge volatility in the battery materials market, this year we will hold a Fastmarkets pricing mechanisms workshop to understand battery materials pricing and how it is evolving. This will involve a deep dive into Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology. This will focus on understanding the principles of hedging price risk using exchange-based cash-settled derivatives and will take a look at a case study for managing risk using cobalt and lithium futures. It also includes insights into how to get started in hedging, including the routes to market and practicalities.

Sessions during this year’s conference will focus on both the risks to the battery materials market, as well as supply and demand outlooks across the key materials so attendees have a holistic view of the market.  

On the agenda: 

• Fastmarkets’ own Phoebe O’Hara and Vicky Zhao will provide a ‘global EV outlook 2033’, focusing on how battery material prices may affect the tipping point for mass adoption 
• ‘EV and ESS battery: Demand projections by region’ with Dr Wolfgang Bernhardt, senior partner and global co-head at the Advanced Technology Center Automotive and Industrials at Roland Berger 
• Pricing forecasts for battery raw materials from Will Adams, Head of commodity markets research, base metals and battery materials at Fastmarkets 
• ‘Tackling price volatility: How to manage risk and protect profit margins’ with Jessie Ng, associate director, commodities at SGX, Martim Facada, lithium trader at TRAXYS and Christopher Ellis, strategy director for metals at Fastmarkets 

3. Understand new battery chemistry innovations, extraction and recycling techniques 

As the Asian market responds to supply chain challenges and the security of battery materials supply, we look at new battery chemistry innovations, extraction techniques and the leading trends and technologies to leverage the increasing recycled supply.

With lithium prices remaining volatile, we look to the viability of unconventional sources such as direct lithium extraction (DLE), lepidolite, geothermal and clay. We explore how that is developing in Asia, how much material will come to the market, how realistic it is to produce battery grade lithium from these sources, and at what cost.

On the agenda:

• ‘Lepidolite; could it be a game changer for lithium’ with Vicky Zhao, senior analyst for battery materials at Fastmarkets 
• A battery recycling forecast from Callum Perry, nickel price reporter at Fastmarkets 
• A recycling technology ‘deep dive’ with Dr Yu-Tack Kim, division director for the Korean Battery Industry Association and Battery R&D Association of Korea 
• ‘Boosting lithium mining efficiency with DLE’ from Ivy Gao, chairwoman of Sunresin New Materials 
• ‘NCM, LFP or solid state? Battery chemistry outlook 2035’ with Fastmarkets’ Muthu Krishna, battery recycling cost modeller and Brian K Dillard, chief growth and strategy officer, VinEs 

Don’t miss out on your place at the conference

Take a look at the full agenda and secure your place at the Fastmarkets Asian Battery Materials Conference today.

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