The large-scale deployments of Li-ion batteries in the last decade have put pressure on governments and policymakers around the world to find sustainable ways to deal with these installed batteries upon retiring from service. This presentation discusses the economics of recycling and expected effects on the stability of the Li-ion batteries supply chain, and its impact on the battery industry in the next two decades.

Embark on a comparative exploration of the strategic initiatives driving the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Europe's Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) as they address the establishment of resilient upstream battery value chains. Analyze divergent approaches taken by each region to incentivize domestic battery production, enhance supply chain security, and navigate the intricate landscapes of sustainable energy transition and economic growth. This comes in the backdrop of supply chain fragility, where global waiting times exceeding 12 months and price surges of up to 20% have underscored the urgency of reevaluating material value chains.

We will describe the increasing challenge of discovering and processing primary mineral supply, and the importance of secondary resources. And lastly, we can demonstrate Australia’s capability to operate the world’s longest (transmission) network with 100% renewable energy as a proposed renewable energy powerhouse.

Lithium is a key enabler of the global decarbonization process, and the electrification of transport is fundamental to such a transition. As the demand for electric vehicles continues to accelerate to meet global targets, the lithium market has seen unprecedented growth. We will present our data-driven methodology for tracking these accelerating demand dynamics across existing—and emerging—battery technologies, and the corresponding response from the lithium market. As the lithium ecosystem continues to evolve over the next decade, our agile analyses provide insight into lithium’s present and future.

This presentation will address lithium-ion battery supply chain dynamics: challenges & opportunities as well as raw material bottlenecks; lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and financing the EV supply chain; and capital requirements to meet the EV demand of the coming decade.

What should the market expect in terms of a supply response from battery raw material producers? What is the outlook for supply, demand, and prices in these complicated and fast-moving markets? The talk will look at recent developments in battery raw materials, the impact they've had on the supply chain, and the underlying trends in lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

Roland Chavasse will share a review of key multistakeholder projects in the lithium industry.  He will look at various key developments in the global lithium value chain which support lithium producers, processors and end users including the ISO Technical Committee 333;        ILiA’s Risk Management Options Analysis program; Global mining standards; ILiA’s lithium life cycle assessment (LCA) guidance project; Global Battery Alliance’s battery passport; Global efforts to agree on standard Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) for common lithium compounds and the creation of a global industry body to represent, inform and convene the lithium industry.

Recent legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), has certainly kickstarted long-overdue industry development in North America, with over $2.8 billion allocated so far. Yet, there is little to no domestic mine production, let alone battery-grade material processing for the EV industry to grow as planned. Therefore, the US is on track to become more and more reliant on geo-politically sensitive countries to meet growth expectations.

Cathode material has a dominant influence on battery performance, cost, and CO2 footprint. Supply of this key ingredient will rise sharply by mid-decade, led by high-nickel NMC and precursor at Umicore’s Loyalist, Ontario plant. NMC will be complemented by the plant's provision for Mn-rich cathode, providing $/kWh cost advantages without LFP energy density sacrifices. Umicore’s use of 100% green energy for cathode production will improve EV CO2 footprint and sustainability.

This presentation will provide a summary of outlook and trends based on Argus pricing, data, and sources on the North American battery market going into the month of the conference. In addition, updates on how nascent battery markets are developing based on market discussions will be provided.

Umicore is a global leader in the battery cathode materials manufacturing space, with over 20 years of experience and expertise in development of specialized products using innovative processes, driven primarily by customer demand. This presentation will provide an overview of recent updates on localization of production in North America and toolkit used by CAM manufacturers to obtain best performance in the cathode product.

China vs. the world: how have non-Chinese supply chains grown since the IRA? What chance of $7,500 credits for US consumers? A look at how mining, processing, cathode, and anode capacity are evolving in the US and FTA partner countries.

Dimien is commercializing the first stable high energy lithium-ion cathode based on a new vanadium oxide called ZVO. ZVO has high energy (comparable to high energy NMC), excellent safety with no oxygen evolution or thermal runaway up to ~300°C in the presence of commercial liquid electrolytes (comparable to safe LFP), and is produced from globally abundant and low-cost vanadium resources, including American supply. Compared to other common battery materials, vanadium is 1.4x more abundant than nickel and nearly 5x more abundant than cobalt. ZVO is poised to be an anode agnostic cathode.

The supply chain for battery raw materials faces constraints from a mineral extraction perspective. Limitations to world mineral reserves, current production capacity, and the ability to increase extraction rates to meet critical metal demand are explored using a critical minerals optimiser. Strategies are provided to mitigate the potential constraints in the supply chain and secure a sustainable supply of raw battery materials.