This presentation will cover recent developments in the markets for major battery raw materials, particularly lithium, nickel, and cobalt. The presentation will also give an outlook on the supply and demand for these raw materials and highlight any issues that could affect the price for these commodities in the years ahead.

After closely tracking and analysing a tumultuous 12 months for the lithium market, what lessons can we learn? What does the remainder of 2024 have in store for supply & demand, and how will this affect prices for this specialty chemical so vital to electrification?

Massive investment in European LIB capacity is resulting in rapid growth in raw and active materials requirements. In-region availability of raw material resources is limited; the build-out of refining and active materials capacity remains incipient. This presentation will highlight the scale of the challenge meeting regional demand for low-cost, low-carbon, and responsibly-sourced raw materials; incorporating supply-demand balance scenarios, company and regulatory responses, and risks to key players.

Rapid growth of global lithium-ion battery demand, geopolitical factors, and technological development have a great impact on the lithium-ion battery industry, specifically on raw materials. Heavy investment in the raw materials sector could lead to overcapacity once EV sales' growth is lower than expected. Different types of batteries also could reduce dependency on certain raw materials. Huge fluctuation in raw-materials prices could deeply damage the battery industry and beyond.

The presentation based on the new research report provides an overview of novel extraction methods from unconventional lithium deposits. It provides risk analysis of unconventional lithium extraction methods and explores their impact on supply and demand forecast. The presentation also highlights the importance of novel extraction methods for regionalisation of battery supply chain and sustainability.

Lithium is an essential element in the global energy transition. It's critically important to stakeholders that it is mined in a sustainable and equitable way. Besides an update on SQM's progress on its sustainable development plan, SQM's innovation roadmap toward water-neutral lithium production will be presented. Additionally, global lithium demand and SQM's expansion plan will be updated.

In this presentation, we'll explore the critical role of carefully choosing CAM (cathode active materials) to power Europe's sustainable mobility transformation. We'll delve into the selection of different chemistries, each with their own performance profile and ramp-up challenges. We’ll also highlight their vital role in constructing a supply chain that meets the stringent sustainability standards set by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Brazilian Nickel's Piauí Project in NE Brazil is a nickel laterite heap leach, producing nickel and cobalt intermediate products as feed for battery cathodes. Small-scale production began in 2022 and construction for the full-scale project will begin in 2024. Nickel production of 25,000 tpa contained in MHP will begin in 2026. Brazilian Nickel will give an update on progress on the project, other future projects and its CO2 reduction plans.

This presentation will assess how the regional variations in cathode chemistry choice by manufacturers will impact raw material requirements in major markets. The development of the supply chains in these regions will undergo different strains and stresses as regional production ramps up, with both private and government support targeting particular markets.

We expect the global nickel market to remain oversupplied in 2024, as supply from top producer Indonesia expands further. This presentation will assess the nickel market performance in 2024 and provide our five-year price forecast, considering factors including electric vehicle sales, battery chemistry mix, and supply-and-demand fundamentals.

The Government of Québec published the first critical and strategic mineral plan from a Canadian province in October 2020, and in January 2023 published a revised action plan. The plan considers the important challenge of the global transition to electric vehicles, while also developing robust and diversified supply chains for shared-value jurisdictions. This presentation will highlight the how Québec is taking action to become a key battery material provider from mining to processing.

Battery material production, especially active anode materials, is mainly centered in Asia, posing a risk to non-Asian industries during global disruptions. Vianode counters this by manufacturing high-volume, competitive anode materials with top-tier performance in Norway, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. The presentation will touch on Vianode's progress in graphite recycling, advancing toward pilot-scale implementation.

Battery safety starts inside the cell. Protective coatings of separator and electrode edges can prevent short circuits and finally avoid a thermal runaway. Nabaltec AG is a leading European manufacturer offering a wide range of aluminum hydrate–based materials specially designed to serve battery safety applications like a.m. and passive heat management. To further highlight, Nabaltec has developed a new class of flame-retardant fillers to provide lightweight battery cases made of thermosets or eng. plastics with an integral heat barrier effect due to ceramification of the polymer composite.