$100 share price, page-72

“..The effect of the Thursday announcement is that MinRes has more toys in the lithium sector but Albemarle has control and keeps its feet on the prized hydroxide processing assets in WA and China.​

Albermarle has kept MinRes out of any chance of gaining operating experience in operating the key part of the lithium process – the hydroxide refinery and preparing it to battery grade (as well as to lower industrial grade for more general use).”​

I like Glen Dyer too @peak2peak and thank you for posting his story of last Monday, but I don’t necessarily agree with Glen’s inferences that MinRes would have gained by any deal which put it in charge of operating hydroxide refineries.

1) It’s not MIN that would have been doing any operatinging but valuable key employees whose - yes - valuable experience would likely be highly sought by other hydroxide processing facilities (especially in current times with labour shortages + many new hydroxide processing facilities trying to come on line)

And who would be hiring expert key operatives for Chris in China?
​

2) I understand these plants do NOT run like clockwork once established! The chemical mix is very sensitive.

3) And why?

I think Chris is not trying to take on Albemarle, number one lithium operator in the world and beat it at it’s own game, and that he likely doesn’t want to become an expert at hydroxide refining himself and that he will hire someone to teach him if he does,
And that he has plenty of other fish to fry besides the spodumene one.

But I guess time will tell

cheers