My thoughts are that PLL will be quite happy to let SYQ and NAL...

My thoughts are that PLL will be quite happy to let SYQ and NAL continue, with the idea that ultimately the plant/NAL will make money for them, despite the funds being locked into the JV. If its not costing them anything, they will be quite content with the plan in place and letting ultimately evolve into a Carbonate facility at its own leisure.
What i dont see them doing, is inconveniently footing $100m plus, to evolve it sooner when they dont have the funds for it, especially for the measly Carbonate rewards. Especially when they are behind on paying interest already, trying to get Ewoyaa up and running and also get loans/grants/JV partners for Tennessee while also needing to contribute to building that facility.

Im sure that Ewoyaa is the ticket and as long as they havent got that product yet then they dont want to spend a puts load of money expediting a carbonate facility that is only going to give the venture the slim margins that the Carbonate prices today are fetching.
We keep banging on about the lopsided offtake and life of mine. Perhaps the agreement is so lucrative because it is only needed for a limited time.
My feeling is that if PLL are cornered into investing into the Carbonate refinery out of their own pocket, while they are still expected to contribute to Ewoyaa and Tennessee, then they may consider offloading their commitment to NAL only when they can bridge the feedstock gap with their flagship mine.

Your idea there is one of a few, but one thing im pretty certain of is that there is no way our industry (lithium) can keep the current agreements in place and have them work during as they did during the boom price/demand cycle.
I'm sure LG can be brought into the picture and KP would have enough nouse to remove the PLL financial commitment and still be rewarded by NAL productivy.

This is all just speculation but im sure there changes or contingency plans going on in the background.

Perhaps it already has... JB missed a visit to POSCO to be at the AGM. But im sure the retail investors would have forgiven him for missing it if he was in Korea at a critical stage of securing an offtake for NAL and reported it so. Perhaps he is not interested in Korea and looking closer to the venture? Or he is riding on KP's workings in the background?