Re: Biden deals potential blow to US miners
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posted on
May 25, 2021 08:01PM
While the Biden administration's stance on new mines is concerning, I do not find myself alarmed. The way I see it, and I hope the Administration shares similar logic, is that the life of a mine can span several decades. Given the existing alternatives to high nickel cathodes, namely LFP, and expected evolution of lithium ion battery to solid state, it may not make sense to open new mines for these materials. Importing ore for processing may be sufficient to bridge the gap to these new battery chemistries. I believe lithium is different in that it is the common denominator from now into the foreseeable future. Without domestic production, we could foreseeably not have sufficient quantities to meet our ambitious goals and the battery plants being built now might find themselves idled. We may not have to mine all of our lithium, but expanding our capacity would certainly seem prudent.