The processing is high tech and pretty much automated these...

The processing is high tech and pretty much automated these days. The initial investment is high and the energy requirement is high. This is why many companies just want to do the esy bit of extraction the rocks and ship them to China for a quick buck. We have plenty of energy for this purpose and this should be done here in Australia.

https://www.saltworkstech.com/articles/hardrock-spodumene-lithium-processing/

Many compabies have started and IGO is leading the charge. This is why the banks are happy and fully supporting the project. They understand the need to do the value-added stuff right here instead of China. The cheaper labour in China is only useful for making the parts for batteries and making the batteries.

Also, Australia and the US and the West know they need to de-risk the dependence on China. So, I think there will be new markets for our lithium in other places in the future. I think India and Vietnam will be the new destinations for our lithium. They start to work on battery production.

https://www.igo.com.au/site/operations/lithium-holdco-joint-venture

By 2025 they will be truly the leader outside of China in this area. The refinance is aimed to get the facility completed to the highest level of production in their plan. We are talking about 1 more year. And then I think many small lithium miners will die and sell their assets to IGO. As capitalism commands, the weak will die and the strong will take over.

There is plenty of pain right now and the short sellers just make it much worse. However, when it turns around, the short sellers will cover and make it sweeter.