Industrial minerals

Supply challenges persist to meet rising rare earths demand, reports Davide Ghilotti

Spot prices for spodumene concentrate continued to post sharp gains over the past fortnight due to tight supply combined with continuously improving demand for downstream lithium chemicals amid booming electric vehicle demand worldwide

This will take Northern Graphite from being a junior miner to a producer, although they will enter a relatively tight market

Chinese battery makers are expected to consider increasing the proportion of natural graphite feedstock they use in anode material because of the fast-rising cost profile and availability issues affecting supplies of synthetic graphite

The latest merger of rare earth producers in China shows that balance of power in this critical material sector is nowhere near where western governments would like it to be

Lithium prices in China rallied further in the week to Thursday August 19, with optimism over demand for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries continuing to boost sentiment.