The upgrade pushed Pilbara’s deposit to a size that sits alongside Greenbushes,the world’s largest hard rock lithium open-cut mine under excavation in Australia’s south-west run by Talison Lithium,a joint venture between Tianqi Lithium and US giant Albemarle Corporation.
Lithium has overtaken gold as a key focus of this year’s Diggers&Dealers mining forum in Kalgoorlie where Henderson and a host of other lithium rising stars were speaking on Monday.
“The outlook for lithium is looking pretty spectacular,” Henderson told about 2600 participants at the forum. “The world needs a lot of lithium above and beyond all the identified assets so far.”
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“We believe that there’s a long-term structural deficit[of lithium supply],and we feel that Pilbara’s incredibly well-placed to capitalise on that deficit,” he said. “We’ve got our foot down and we’re going to make the most of this incredible environment and capitalise on the lead that we think we’ve established.”
Vehicle manufacturers across China,Europe and the US are scrambling to secure supplies of lithium,a mineral crucial to powering long-life batteries,as they pivot to making electric vehicles in a shift that is fuelling the prospects of mining explorers and more established companies like Pilbara who will supply the raw material.