i have the theory that, among other things, no takeover by ganfeng or other companys has taken place so far because hmw is simply too small due to its topographical characteristics. in my opinion, the space that can be used without enormous construction work is too small for a carbonate operation including a plant and an economically attractive production rate that justifies the capex. anyone can say this, true. let's take a closer look at hmw.
the construction of the carbonate operation in the pea from december 21, 2020 was supposed to focus on the properties 'pata pila' and 'deceo III'. allegedly this will seem familiar to you, as we receive satellite images from time to time showing the construction progress on these properties. if you take a closer look at the other properties, you will see that access is likely to be restricted and construction on mountainous ground is not an economical option.
phase one and phase two of the future chloride operation focus on the properties 'pata pila', 'el deco III', cas del inca III', 'del condor' and 'rana del sal I'. the available space is planned down to the last inch. even 'santa barbara XXIV' was included in the planning because it contains flatter, easy to develop areas.
the pea dated december 21, 2020, states a production capacity of 20,000tpa lce. if you look at the pond design (arrangement) back then and today, you immediately notice that the 'carbonate pea' has not yet given much thought to the issue of energy supply. while solar fields with an annual output of three mw were already included in the planning in recent dfs phase II, today i wonder where the electricity for the carbonate plant would have come from back then. really only from diesel generators?
what have we seen so far?
1) the final product was changed
2) the arrangement of the ponds has been fundamentally revised
3) in addition to a processing plant for chloride, a solar field was included in the planning
4) since almost every inch of the flat land on the individual properties was completely utilized by ponds, it can be proven that from an economic point of view there would be no room for a carbonate plant.
why is this the reason for me that hmw has not been sold yet?all the properties which have value are those that border directly on the salt lake and contain flat, undeveloped land. in order to build an independent carbonate plant including the necessary ponds and infrastructure, the undeveloped, flat area appears to me to be significantly too small. then why no dle operation? the power supply could be the deciding factor here. since gln still relies on diesel generators in addition to the planned solar field, this means for me that a connection to the power grid via overhead voltage lines is too complex and / or cost intensive.
then why not sell candelas? counter question - have you seen the candela's pea from november 30, 2021?
to support my theory, i will give you the example of pastos grandes in salta, argentina. at the beginning of 2022, millennial lithium was acquired by lithium americas. later in the year it was announced that lithium americas would take over all shares of arena minerals.
the topography supports the construction of a large carbonate plant / the construction of a lot more pond systems.
another example: zijin mining acquisition of neo lithium. the 3q project was also taken over in 2022. look at the topography. this is the reason why properties or entire companies are taken over.
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