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The increase in the sale of electric cars and the development of batteries for technology items are raising expectations, which is generating more and more expectations in the market for lithium, whose main global players are Chile, Argentina and Australia.
Lithium, the first and lightest metal of the periodic table, is an essential badet for the booming electric car sector and the manufacture of rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
The main sources of lithium are: they find in the so-called "lithium triangle", conformed by Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. The salares located in these three countries represent more than 50% of the world's sources of metals, although it has not yet been possible to exploit them profitably in Bolivia, its main source of resources, the Salar of Uyuni.
Other resource-rich countries China, the United States, Australia and Canada are important. Peru recently announced the discovery of a huge lithium and uranium deposit in the Puno region.
– Chile up –
Chile is one of the world's leading producers of metal from the Atacama Salar (north). ), one of the richest lithium deposits in the world because of its high concentrations, its low content of impurities and the exploitation of by-products such as potbadium.
In 1979, the country declared lithium a "strategic" resource, because of the risk that
According to the National Mining Commission (Cochilco), Chile is expected to increase its production to 147,000 tons by 2021 from the end of January. 80,000 in 2017, due to the expansion of mining activities in the Salar de Atacama. Under this scenario, exports could reach $ 1 470 million until 2021.
Projected global demand for this year would reach 372 288 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), from 201 000 tons of 2016. The supply According to Cochilco, the world would reach 440 318 tons of LCE in 2021.
– Market rising –
Lithium, which is not marketed like other minerals but whose prices are negotiated directly, began to be used for batteries in the early 90s.
If, at the beginning, lithium batteries accounted for 6% of their demand, they now account for about 35% of the total quantity. According to Cochilco, 59% of the demand should be spent on automotive batteries and electronic devices.
Each smartphone requires between two and three grams of lithium. A 30 gram laptop, while a tablet requires about 18 grams of lithium. For the manufacture of cars, the use of lithium varies from 1.6 to 22.6 kilos.
The annual growth rate of electric vehicle sales is estimated at 12.6%, which could reach 4%. , 5 million units by 2021.
– Main Actors –
The Chemical and Mining Company of Chile (SQM) and the American Albermarle operate the salt mine of & # 39; 39; Atacama. The two largest lithium producers in the world alongside the Chinese giant Tianqi.
The other major players in the market are Chinese Ganfeng, Lithium Americas Corp and Nemaska candiens and Australian Orocobre
In 2017, China was the largest consumer of lithium in the world, followed by Japan and South Korea.
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