Everyone acts like there are NO lithium refining options besides...

Everyone acts like there are NO lithium refining options besides China.

First and foremost, let's not forget the South American operations of SQM and Albermarle. They are among the largest producers of LiOH and Li2CO3 in the world. China may be trying to monopolize the hard rock lithium world, but don't forget brine production.

I know that it seems like they've been ramping-up forever, and there do seem to be problems galore, but you also shouldn't forget that there are three LiOH plants either ramping-up or under construction in Oz, as well as one pilot plant for Lithium Phosphate.

Tesla is approximately 3/4 finished with building a Lithium Hydroxide plant in Texas.

LG Energy has deals with PLL (they now own 6% of PLL) for both SC6 and LiOH, and a partnership with China's Huayou to build two plants (one in Indonesia and one in Morocco) to take SC6, process the spod to Li2CO3 and then make LFP cathode materials. Don't forget that part of th LG funding deal with LTR involves a feasibility study to build a LiOH plant as a JV.

AMG has a plant in Germany producing LiOH (they produce technical grade LiOH in Brazil, then convert is to battery grade LiOH in Germany).

EcoPro in SoKo has a refinery with one train that's running and a second which is either commissioning or in full production (construction started last February).

Toyota Tsusho has a Lithium Hydroxide plant up and running in Japan (in Fukushima Prefecture, of all places). I believe they got up and running in late 2022.

Finally, don't forget that the POSCO/PLS JV in SoKo has one train of their LiOH plant running and are commissioning the second train, now.

Between the US and EU, there are at least four more LiOH plants under construction, thought they're probably all at least two years from production.
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