Lithium carbonate prices

POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solution (PPLS) will complete construction of Train 2 at its lithium hydroxide monohydrate conversion facility in Gwangyang, South Korea, by early December 2024, a company source told Fastmarkets, with delivery of the first batch of lithium hydroxide expected within two months from then.

Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale and trade log for MB-LI-0033 lithium hydroxide monohydrate LiOH.H2O 56.5% LiOH min, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea, which was published incorrectly on Friday November 22.

Market feedback shows that these two commodities see active spot liquidity and great price volatility. Therefore, a higher assessment frequency enables Fastmarkets to reflect their spot market dynamics in a more timely manner. The new specifications for the prices are as follows, with the amendment in italics: MB-LI-0036 Lithium carbonate 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, […]

The shift in China from nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries, which mainly use lithium hydroxide, to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which use lithium carbonate, is leading to a wider price spread between the two materials, prompting producers there to shift from hydroxide to carbonate.

Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for its International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)-audited non-ferrous metals, via an open consultation process between October 8 and November 7, 2024. This consultation was done as part of our published annual methodology review process.

India should invest to avoid its dependance on imports for almost 100% of its cobalt, lithium and nickel requirements, according to a report by the think tank Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). But slow government action and a focus on short-term costs keep India reliant on imported critical minerals, sources told Fastmarkets.