Ann: Update on Albemarle proposal, page-115

Seriously, in addition to my previous post I hope you realise:

1. a vertically intergrated producer of spodumene, who then feeds that spodumene into their own downstream processing facilities in the same country is going to have much lower cost structures than
2. a Chinese company who has to buy spodumene of a miner who is located in another country, who then transports it to China and then puts it into its downstream facilities.
3. Before we talk energy, and the fact China is buying Australian gas in part for that conversion process, unless of course it is using diesel in the kilns - refer my first post.

It is why for Kemerton's first hydroxide train ALB sources its own spodumene from Greenbushes and is seeking to takeover LTR to source spodumene for subsequent Kemerton expansions.

It is why China is seeking to vertically intergrate as well - why reduce cost structures. As well as China trying to source spodumene instead of lepidolite as spodumene has better ESG credentials and sooner or later people in China ain't going to like all that pollution that is around their from inappropriate production processes - Post #:65016146 I like the fact so many who preach EVs talk about climate change and then turn a blind eye to how China makes lithium chemicals from lepidolite with its poor ESG credentials. But to repeat a vertically intergrated producer of lithium chemicals will have lower cost structures in production than someone who has to source spodumene from a miner and then put it in its own production processes.

Sometimes the journos on the Fin Review might need to scratch a few brain cells together.

I will leave it at that.

All IMO