Interest in lithium continues to grow due to the metal’s role in the lithium-ion batteriesthat power electric cars.
In total, about 56 percent of lithium produced goes toward battery production, but other industries also consume the metal. For example, 23 percent is used in ceramics and glass, while 6 percent goes to lubricating greases.
According to the US Geological Survey, lithium consumption for batteries has increased significantly in recent years due to the use of rechargeable lithium batteries in the growing market for portable electronic devices, as well as in electric tools, electric vehicles and grid storage applications.
As demand for lithium continues to rise, which countries will provide the lithium the world requires? The latest data from the US Geological Survey shows that the world’s top lithium producers are doing their best to meet rising demand from energy storage and electric vehicles — worldwide lithium supply rose roughly 23 percent from 2017 to 2018, coming in at 85,000 metric tons (MT) of lithium content last year, not including US production.
Read on for a brief overview of the nine countries that produced the most lithium in 2018. If the electric vehicle market continues to grow, and if lithium-ion batteries continue their reign as the top batteries for electric vehicles, it’s likely that they will produce even more of the metal in years to come.
1. Australia Mine production: 51,000 MT
Kicking off our lithium production by country list is Australia. It produced 51,000 metric tons of lithium content last year, up an impressive 11,000 metric tons from the year before. The over 21 percent increase has been attributed to two new spodumene operations that ramped up production in 2017, along with five additional spodumene operations that ramped up output in 2018.
Australia hosts the Greenbushes lithium asset, which is operated by Talison Lithium, a subsidiary jointly owned by miners Tianqi Lithium(SZSE:002466) and Albemarle (NYSE:ALB). Greenbushes is the longest continuously operating mining area in Western Australia, having been in operation for over 25 years.
Australia also holds over 2.7 million metric tons of identified lithium reserves, according to the US Geological Survey, which puts it just behind Chile. It is worth noting that most of the country’s lithium supply is exported to China as spodumene.
Read below for the mine production rates of the other 8 listed countries. It was interesting to read the last paragraph about the US, and mine production unknown, due to non disclosure of company data.
