General Discussion Topics, page-45107

To be frank, some of the other players are saying something similar in that they will try and source the best energy in the conversion process to 6% grade spodumene. But the key CO2 emissions occur in calcination - producing hydroxide or carbonate. But this is the point, the kilns cannot operate on solar or hydro - they are fired by either diesel or gas -Post #:45802869Anyone who thinks producing hydroxide or sulphate will not have a carbon footprint is currently unfortunately incorrect - the power requirements are large -Post #:50427529- so it is about offsets there but certainly can do better in producing spodumene but need improvement in kiln technology so that they can be fired by alternate fuels. The embedded posts linked in this paragraph explain this but if others have a view please share..

Yes been close to manufacturers will have its benefits as saves on transport costs after producing hydroxide as well as the perception of been on thesame continent has less risk attached. Not sure how the market would value that however but should be an upside benefit and would be significant if the entity concerned can supply all the need.

The current geopolitical risks with EVs in where minerals are sourced is there - NCM batteries require a host of minerals like cobalt, graphite and managnese and EVs themselves also require copper and rare earths. It is not just about sourcing spodumene, but at the end of the day the spodumene has to be of a certain quality and have low impurities for it to be acceptable in hydroxide production. So there are a number of factors to consider, including currently North America doesn't have the resources to not rely on other countries for supply, and manufacturers/producers look at issues of cost and returns when assessing what projects to develop. Sovereign risk is in teh discount rate of projects as well. This post explains impurities and processes etc etc - Post #:50053835 Where this post comes from is in a general Peer Comparison thread I post in.

All IMO