That's possibly just talk for the article. He's not likely to discuss details of any ongoing negotiations.
I liked this; "He estimates that the lithium price in the longer term will settle around $US17,500 and says Phoenix Lithium will be profitable at a price as low as $US8000. Competitors’ models, he believes, have their projected lithium price much higher."
The current price is at a 3 year low right now but still above that US$8,000. Many producers are struggling or running at a loss at the current $8,700 so prices could rebound sharply before the pilot plant is finished. I'd imagine that any potential buyers would be assuming a much higher long term price than the current US$8,700. RIO is looking for and buying assets that are suitable to DLE probably partly because it's more environmentally friendly and partly because the costs are lower. Two deals in a week, both brine and at least three other bidders missed out on each deal and are almost certainly looking at alternatives. We might already be seeing a shift from hard rock to brine.
