Lithium is following iron ore cycle, page-495

The market needs to understand the nuances of lithium supply/demand. Plenty of industrial grade crap, but top chemical battery grade that can be easily produced to SC6 is in short supply to meet the upcoming lithium demand....enter AVZ!

From Benchmark Minerals:

"What’s more, the type and quality of this new production capacity only perpetuates the smoke and mirrors state the industry has floated in for the past four years.

As with any new lithium chemical production, only A PROPORTION of this material will likely be sold into the battery sector from the outset!

Even leading producers HAVE PROBLEMS MEETING SPECS IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF PRODUCTION!" (e,g,PLS, MIN)

DISPELLING COST CURVE MYTHS

"A symptom of the emergence of new spodumene resources has been the question of which feedstock is the most economic source of lithium chemical production.

For a generation the low-cost benefits of brine extraction, coupled with an industry dominated by lithium carbonate, saw South American projects cement themselves firmly at the low-end of the industry cost curve. The potential SHIFT AWAY FROM LITHIUM CARBONATE as the primary chemical used in lithium ion battery cathodes, and changes to the Chilean royalty structure, have however PUT THIS POSITION IN DOUBT OVER RECENT YEARS!

The ability to produce lithium hydroxide directly from spodumene – rather than via lithium carbonate, as is required in the brine process – means the cost curve for lithium hydroxide production can take a distinctly different shape than that of carbonate!

In turn, this challenges the previously held belief that brine is the more competitive source of production and could see SPODUMENE PROVE THE FAVOURED FEEDSTOCK of tomorrow’s lithium ion battery industry."