lithium price concerns, page-9

Yes, SQM also say the following in their latest presentation:

'By the year 2015, some estimates indicate that this figure will reach 2-3 million units'

- a little less than 60 million by 2012.

This is what they say about lithium price in their quarterly - fairly vague:

'of 2008, a decrease of 10.1% with respect to the first quarter 2007 figure of US$44.6 million.The year-over-year decrease in quarterly revenues was primarily the result of lower sales volumes,reflecting the growing presence of Chinese producers. We maintain our original outlook for full-year 2008 and expect sales volumes to be slightly lower than in 2007.Average lithium prices were higher during the first quarter of 2008 than they were during the same period of 2007, although prices have decreased slightly with respect to year-end 2007. During 2007, tight supply conditions put upward pressure on pricing; now that new producers have entered the market, the relationship between supply and demand in this market is more balanced.
While the growing worldwide lithium supply may continue to have an effect on our sales volumes in the short and medium terms, future demand in this market continues to look promising. In the short term, rechargeable batteries continue to experience two-digit growth, and this is mostly benefiting the traditional lithium producers, including SQM, as customers require a quality that not everyone in the industry can provide. In the medium term, we expect demand in this market to grow even further, as several large
automakers have formally announced plans to produce hybrid cars powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

All in all, production increases of 60-70% over the next two years look set to be a massive multiple of even the most bullish demand estimates...