From you post there is only one item worth discussing, that it CO2 emissions, rest if fluff.
So on the CO2 emissions, from the perspective that the EU doesn't have any local raw material or chem supply, and future local supply may reach 25% of the EU needs. The best outcome for the EU is to import South American brine carbonate and convert to hydroxide which adds cost, in turn higher battery costs. Product shipped from Chile and Argentine are number 1 & 2 respectively from CO2 perspective, and the 3rd best option is OZ hydroxide, converted in Oz and shipped to the EU.
However, and as above, EU doesn't have any local raw material or chem supply at present, and will be dependant on imports, period. Which begs the question, where do they get their supply, sorry more questions than answers, as follows;
- Will existing South American brine carbonate suppliers flip customers, and send to the EU
- Where will new supply from South American brine go to, think US & Japan, etc. .
- If existing and new South American brine should travel shorter distances, think lithium hungry north American, with EU picking up the scraps.
- New supply from South American will take time, nothing meaningful until 2023. Nothing from local EU mines before 2025, well not enough to move the needle.
- From a CO2 perspective, shipping Oz hydroxide to whole of Asia and north America has an overall lower carbon footprint.
Given the EU exported most of the "dirty" mining operations and associated skills overseas over the past 30 odd years, and now applying aggressive carbon taxes on the industries they exported. Seems dumb and stubborn to me, risking their place in the supply chain, and more importantly, not being able to meet their CO2 emission targets. Cutting their nose off despite their face, given lithium will enable them to reduce associated transport and energy generation emissions.
The EU need to wake up, they are missing the key ingredients for their supply chain, using environmental matters as a political football, while China grows it's dominance and allowing the US to overtake the EU.
(20min delay)