POSCO has only just started to build their plant this year. They only broke ground in Feb.
http://globalblog.posco.com/posco-expands-lithium-manufacturing-business/
They have spent the last few years researching an alternate method of brine production - similar to how some companies here research different methods of hard-rock production.
They are not representative of the processes used by SQM, ALB etc.
Brine is how 66% of the world's lithium is made. Brine is the lithium production method that Tesla is investing in. Its comparatively cheap and produces valuable carbonate, rather than spodumene that loses a lot of its profit to the converter plants.
I guess you've been reading too many threads on PLS where they just make up numbers about how long it takes to get brine plants running. This is because SDV is many times more profitable than PLS and it kind of wrecks the whole size of resource argument thing.
SDV has at least 40 years of supply.
2 years is all thats needed to start production. Anthony Tse is aiming for a Q4 2018 opening.
Read Joe Lowry's take on our brine plans.
This is why he presumes to place Galaxy in the Big 6 and not PLS.
Orocobre started up in 2 years. Their problems have been to do with their location, management and morale, their plant build and, ultimately, the chemistry of their resource which leaves them with more industrial grade than battery grade.
SDV is on a different salar famous for its great quality.
FMC are on the other side of the same area.
They have great quality but have under-invested in capacity.
SDV has been scoped before (in 2013) and we have a new DFS in the next couple of weeks.
PLS will spend the year still ramping up in 2018 whilst Mt Cattlin will have been in production for years and have SDV opening by the end of the year, perhaps even James Bay running.
Its likely that PLS will never out-earn Galaxy.
This is the only metric that counts.
When PLS finally hits its stride in 2019-2020 GXY will already have 3 assets running.
1 x 350kt vs 2 x 200kt and a 25kt brine plant (that out-earns PLS by itself)
As far as which stock should be sold ... I wish you the best of luck.
You have a long wait ahead for something to happen.
