Can't you see the explanations next to the company names who is producing, who is exploring and who is developing? As you can see Greenbushes and MIN-Ganfeng are producing at large scale other than PLS. That's why PLS is so important to everyone. MIN-ALB's and Nemaska's productions are also very soon.
Apparently SQM/KDR (WES) Earl Grey and LTR's Kathleen Valley projects will be the next producers.
When it comes to the cost of production; yes it is a fact not my opinion of course. See PLS's DFS for the facts. The US$263/t cost given there was nearly correct. DFS is a huge work and cant be that wrong. The problem is technical resulted by managerial mistakes.
The problem with the cost of production was because they didn't make the right commissioning and fine tuning, and the iron removal equipment and machines was missing in the plant design. Someone wanted take shortcuts. That was the mistake. Those iron removal equipment and machines are not so expensive (couple of million dollars imo). That iron will be removed and they will have 0.8% iron content in SC6. (I have industry contacts and experts whom I can consult and get the idea about all these technical details. I am myself is a mech. eng. by degree as well).
Yes the cash cost will increase but will not be any more than US$300. That is enough to sell the product.
Can you tell me your thoughts what would be the cost of removing iron oxide, the cash cost, the cost of equipment and machines other than just plain downramping opinions. Do you have any idea?
You downramper guys bring all sort of strange ideas here. I posted my opinions on PLS thread because the whole lithium market is being downramped by some people. (again I don't hold PLS)
Downrampers say there are a lot of supply which is not true.
There is a lot of supply of industrial and technical grade lithium concentrate but not chemical (battery) grade concentrate. That sis the fact.
A40, AJM and PLS can't produce chemical grade lithium at the right price. That's the problem.
Otherwise there is no oversupply of chemical grade lithium concentrate. That's the misleading part.
PLS has been downramped and shorted for long time. Yes it has technical and managerial problems which cause commercial and financial problems but its market cap is too low in comparison to its Tier-1 deposit in the ground atm.
It has 230mt @1.27% Li2O grade deposit. But its market cap is $650m plus $200m debt which brings it to $850m. There is a plant and infrastructure now there.
You can compare it to the next door project Wodgina which is owned by Mineral Resources and Albemarle. Albemarle paid $US$1.15b (UA$ 1.65b) half of 230mt @1.20 resource. That was for 115mt. And just last month they said they want to increase their share to 60%.
So where is the problem in the lithium sector then?
PLS Price at posting:
35.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Not Held
(20min delay)