Nm1 Dec 2023 07:11
Beyond Latin America, there's plenty of optimism surrounding potential lithium development in Africa. Despite moving forward on its operations in Canada, Piedmont Lithium Inc. (NASDAQ:PLL) embarked on forging the first link of a lithium supply chain in West Africa—at the Ewoyaa lithium project in Ghana, where the company is the second-largest shareholder of the operator, Atlantic Lithium. As per the current arrangement, Piedmont owns a 9% equity interest in Atlantic Lithium, and has also exercised its option to acquire an initial 22.5% interest in Ewoyaa, subject to government approvals.
"Our investment in Ewoyaa will help alleviate potential future US supply constraints and provide crucial resources to help reduce America's dependence on foreign nations, like China," said Keith Phillips, CEO of Piedmont in an email to Bloomberg.
Atlantic Lithium expects the Ewoyaa permitting process to be finalized in H2 2024, ahead of what's being projected to produce feedstock material for another proposed 30,000 metric ton per year Tennessee-based lithium hydroxide conversion facility. Coupling the impact of work being done in Ghana with new drill results in Canada that could lead to mineral resource upgrade, Piedmont is positioning itself to contribute significantly to the global lithium supply.
Among Piedmont's offtake buyers is Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), which is working to develop its own lithium refining facility on the Gulf Coast of Texas. According to the company's updated timeline, construction is set to be finished next year, with expected production in 2025.
https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/western-leaders-seeking-diverse-lithium-supplies-to-reduce-worrisome-dependence-on-china-302001752.html