General Motors and Livent Enter Long-Term Lithium Hydroxide Supply Agreement

2022-08-27 01:33:16 By : Ms. Sophia Tong

Livent and General Motors Co. announced today a significant multi-year sourcing agreement in which Livent will supply GM with battery-grade lithium hydroxide made primarily from lithium extracted at Livent's brine-based operations in South America . Lithium hydroxide is crucial to GM's plans to make higher performance, higher mileage EVs. The lithium hydroxide from Livent will be used in GM's Ultium battery cathodes, which will power electric vehicles such as the recently revealed Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EV and Cadillac LYRIQ.

Livent will provide battery-grade lithium hydroxide to GM over a six-year period beginning in 2025. Over the course of the agreement, Livent will increasingly supply battery-grade lithium hydroxide to GM from its manufacturing facilities in the U.S., with the goal of transitioning 100% of Livent's downstream lithium hydroxide processing for GM to North America.  The agreement is expected to help secure supply for GM while assisting Livent in expanding its North American capabilities.

Both GM and Livent share a commitment to responsible operations and sustainable supply chains through industry and multi-stakeholder platforms. General Motors is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), joined the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) in 2021 and plans to become carbon neutral in global products and operations by 2040. Livent is actively engaged in an IRMA third-party assessment, has a gold rating from EcoVadis for sustainability and has announced a goal of overall carbon neutrality by 2040.

"We are building a strong, sustainable, scalable and secure supply chain to help meet our fast-growing EV production needs," said Jeff Morrison , GM vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "We will further localize the lithium supply chain in North America over the course of the agreement. In addition, it is aligned with our approach to responsible sourcing and supply chain management and demonstrates our commitment to strong supplier relationships."

"Importantly, GM now has contractual commitments secured with strategic partners for all battery raw material to support our goal of 1 million units of EV capacity by the end of 2025," added Morrison.

Paul Graves , president and chief executive officer of Livent commented, "We are excited to begin this long-term relationship with GM, one of the most iconic brands in the automotive industry and a leading force in the transition to electrification. With a shared commitment to sustainability and responsible operations, we look forward to building a broad partnership that will support GM's electric vehicle strategy, its supply chain goals and the future requirements of its growing EV fleet for reliable, high-performance lithium products."

GM will discuss the agreement as part of its earnings call later this morning, and Livent will do the same as part of its upcoming second quarter 2022 earnings call on August 2 .

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which powers everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac , Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar , a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at https://www.gm.com .

Livent (NYSE: LTHM) is a fully integrated lithium company with a rich heritage of innovation and a long, proven history of producing performance lithium compounds. For nearly eight decades, Livent has partnered with its customers to safely and sustainably use lithium to power the world. Livent is one of only a small number of companies with the capability, reputation, and know-how to produce high-quality finished lithium compounds that are helping meet the growing demand for lithium. The company has one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry, powering demand for green energy, modern mobility, the mobile economy, and specialized innovations, including light alloys and lubricants. For more information, visit Livent.com .

CONTACTS: David Barnas GM Communications 248-918-8946 david.barnas@gm.com

Juan Carlos Cruz Livent Communications 215-299-6725 juan.carlos.cruz@livent.com

Daniel Rosen Livent Investor Relations 215-299-6208 daniel.rosen@livent.com

Livent Forward-Looking Statements Statement under the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current views and assumptions regarding future events, future business conditions and the outlook for the company based on currently available information. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "will," "will continue to," "will likely result," "is on track," "should," "expect," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believe," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "could," "forecast," "future," "is confident that," "plans," or "projects," the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. These factors include, among other things, the risk factors and other cautionary statements included within Livent's 2021 Form 10-K filed with the SEC as well as other SEC filings and public communications. Livent cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the above cautionary statement. Livent undertakes no obligation, and specifically disclaims any duty, to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which they were made, except as otherwise required by law.

The Company's investor relations website, located at https://ir.livent.com , should be considered as a recognized channel of distribution, and the Company may periodically post important information to the website for investors, including information that the Company may wish to disclose publicly for purposes of complying with federal securities laws.

General Motors Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements : This press release and related comments by management may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements represent our current judgement about possible future events and are often identified by words such as "aim," "anticipate," "appears," "approximately," "believe," "continue," "could," "designed," "effect," "estimate," "evaluate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "initiative," "intend," "may," "objective," "outlook," "plan," "potential," "priorities," "project," "pursue," "seek," "should," "target," "when," "will," "would," or the negative of any of those words or similar expressions. In making these statements, we rely upon assumptions and analysis based on our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors we consider appropriate under the circumstances. We believe these judgements are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any future events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors, many of which are described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or other factors that affect the subject of these statements, except where we are expressly required to do so by law.

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 E3 METALS CORP. (TSXV: ETMC) (FSE: OU7A) (OTC: EEMMF) (the "Company" or "E3 Metals"), an emerging lithium developer and leading lithium extraction technology innovator, today announced it has strengthened its technical team with the addition of Dr. Munish Sharma as Senior Engineer, Lithium Process.

Dr. Sharma is a chemical engineer with significant R&D and product commercialization experience. He obtained his MS and PhD in chemical engineering from State University of New York at Buffalo in 2013. He brings solid experience in material development at bench and pilot scale, including mixed metal oxides for use in adsorbent and catalyst development for oil and gas refining and lithium battery development as well as operating pilot and field demonstrations. He has driven projects from concept to commercialization at UOP Honeywell where he worked as a Senior R&D Engineer.

Dr. Sharma also brings three years of research experience in the development of novel bimetallic cathodes for lithium batteries where he led projects on battery engineering and testing, lithium battery degradation mechanisms and electrochemical mechanism elucidation. His master's thesis research title was "Electrochemistry of silver vanadium oxyphosphate (SVOP) cathodes for Li-ion batteries". To his credit, Munish has two U.S. patents and 11 research articles published in the leading journals.

121 Mining Investment Online Americas E3 Metals will participate in the upcoming 121 Mining Investment Online Americas conference to be held October 28-30, 2020 . Chris Doornbos , the President and Chief Executive Officer of E3 Metals Corp, will be attending the conference virtually, which connects mining executives with institutional funds, family offices and sector analysts for one on one meetings.

For more information on the 121 Mining Investment Online Americas conference visit https://www.weare121.com/121mininginvestment-new-york/ .

E3 Metals is a lithium development company with 6.7 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) inferred mineral resources 1 in Alberta .  E3 Metals is currently advancing its proprietary direct lithium extraction (DLE) process in partnership with Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM), a global leader in lithium production, under a joint development agreement.  Through the successful scale up its DLE process towards commercialization, E3 Metals' goal is to produce high purity, battery grade, lithium products.  With a significant lithium resource and innovative technology solutions, E3 Metals has the potential to deliver lithium to market from one of the best jurisdictions in the world.  E3 Metals also continues to work with partners at the University of Alberta and at GreenCentre Canada. For more information about E3 Metals, visit www.e3metalscorp.com .

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Chris Doornbos , President & CEO

Chris Doornbos (P.Geo), CEO and Director of E3 METALS CORP., is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical information contained in this announcement.

1. E3 Metals has released information on three 43-101 Technical Reports totaling a resource of 6.7 Mt LCE. The Central Clearwater Resource Area (CCRA) Technical Report, identifying 1.9Mt LCE (inferred), is dated effective October 27, 2017 , and the North Rocky Resource Area (NRRA) Technical Report was dated effective October 27, 2017 , identifies 0.9Mt LCE (inferred). A third report for the Exshaw West Resource Area (EWRA), identifies 3.9Mt LCE (inferred) and was filed on June 15, 2018 , effective June 4, 2018 . All reports are available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ).

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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E3 Metals Corp. (TSXV:ETMC, FSE: OU7A, OTC:EEMMF) (The “Company” or “E3 Metals”) is pleased to provide an update on its proprietary Direct Lithium Extraction Process (“DLE Process”) that is being advanced in collaboration with Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) (“Livent”).

Figure 1: Lithium Recovery (%) Vs Reaction Time (min)

Through the continued development of E3 Metals’ proprietary Ion Exchange DLE Process, the Company is excited to outline the rapid reaction kinetics on the recovery of lithium from Alberta brine. Using brine collected from E3’s Leduc Reservoir in Alberta this past November, 2019 (see News Release Here), the technical team has successfully achieved reaction times from lab-based test work that demonstrated over 90% recover in less than 10 minutes, as opposed to hours. This is a critical achievement as the Company moves towards piloting. Faster reaction times while achieving high recoveries results in reduced retention time of brine in the processing equipment.

Lab testing has demonstrated that lithium recovery of 92% is achieved in under 10 minutes from Alberta brines (Figure 1), drastically reducing the time required to complete each cycle of lithium extraction. With the achievement of these fast reaction kinetics, the Company anticipates increased efficiencies due to accelerated lab testing. In 2020, E3 Metals will continue its joint development with Livent to optimize its proprietary Ion Exchange DLE Process for lithium extraction from Alberta brine.

“These results demonstrate the efficiency that can be obtained from the optimization of E3’s proprietary Ion Exchange Direct Lithium Extraction Process in collaboration with Livent,” Chris Doornbos, E3 Metals’ CEO commented, “This is really just the beginning of the work we are conducting together, and we anticipate further improvements as we progress towards our goal of piloting our technology in Alberta.”

E3 Metals is a lithium development company with 6.7 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) inferred mineral resources1 in Alberta.  E3 Metals is currently advancing its proprietary Ion Exchange Direct Lithium Extraction Process (DLE Process) in partnership with Livent Corporation under a Joint Development Agreement.  Livent is the world’s largest pure-play lithium producer, well-known for being one of the lowest cost producers of lithium carbonate.  With facilities across the globe, Livent holds technical expertise in the extraction and production of various lithium products. E3 Metals also continues to work with partners at the University of Alberta and at GreenCentre Canada.

Through the successful scale up its DLE Process towards commercialization, E3 Metals plans to quickly move towards the production of high purity, battery grade, lithium products.  With a significant lithium resource and innovative technology solutions, E3 Metals has the potential to deliver lithium to market from one of the best jurisdictions in the world.  The development of this lithium resource through brine production is a well-understood venture in Alberta, where this brine is currently being produced to surface through an extensive existing oil and gas infrastructure and development.  For more information about E3 Metals, visit www.e3metalscorp.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Chris Doornbos, President & CEO

Chris Doornbos (P.Geo), CEO and Director of E3 Metals Corp., is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical information contained in this announcement.

1: E3 Metals has released information on three 43-101 Technical Reports totaling a resource of 6.7 Mt LCE. The Central Clearwater Resource Area (CCRA) Technical Report, identifying 1.9Mt LCE (inferred), is dated effective October 27, 2017, and the North Rocky Resource Area (NRRA) Technical Report was dated effective October 27, 2017, identifies 0.9Mt LCE (inferred). A third report for the Exshaw West Resource Area (EWRA), identifies 3.9Mt LCE (inferred) and was filed on June 15, 2018, effective June 4, 2018. All reports are available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com)

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements concerning the potential of the Company’s projects and technology, as well as management’s objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Forward looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend” and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the effectiveness and feasibility of emerging lithium extraction technologies which have not yet been tested or proven on a commercial scale or on the Company’s brine, competitive risks and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

Click here to connect with E3 Metals Corp. (TSXV:ETMC, FWB:OU7A, OTC:EEMMF) for an Investor Presentation.

E3 Metals Corp. (TSXV:ETMC, FSE:OU7A, OTC:EEMMF) (the “Company” or “E3 Metals”) is pleased to provide an update on its 2020 plans and ongoing activities to advance E3 Metals’ proprietary Ion-Exchange Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process.

Figure 1: E3’s Large volume brine samples. Testing will use natural brine from the Leduc Formation in Alberta, Canada, collected in November 2019.

Following the announcement of the Joint Development Agreement between E3 Metals Corp and Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) — see news release dated September 18, 2019 — the combined technical team is actively working on the Ion Exchange (IX) Project (the “Project”). The Project aims to test the commercial readiness of the DLE ion exchange sorbent to produce a high purity lithium concentrate from the Company’s Alberta brine. The Project test work involves a comprehensive program focused on optimizing the performance of E3’s DLE process through the refinement of all process steps, operating conditions and materials. Once the objectives and milestones of the planned testing are met, our focus will shift towards the Pilot Plant Project to test the IX Process and evaluate the production of concentrate at a larger scale. All brine tested for this program is sourced directly from the Leduc Reservoir (Figure 1).

In 2020, E3 Metals is also planning to conduct well testing, which will include brine sampling reservoir pressure testing. Our testing activities will focus on improving the reservoir model, collecting information about lithium concentrations outside of oil and gas accumulations and updating the brine delivery plan in E3’s resource area.

“I’m very pleased with the progression of E3’s work to finalize the material development portion of the project in collaboration with Livent this year,” commented E3’s CEO, Chris Doornbos. “The development work on E3’s proprietary DLE process is being advanced on multiple fronts, by both Livent and our team, including GreenCentre Canada. We are very encouraged by the pace with which the project is moving.”

To provide more details on the Company’s plans for 2020, the Company is pleased to announce a live Corporate Overview Webinar with Chris Doornbos, President & CEO on Tuesday, January 21 at 2 p.m. ET. Chris  Doornbos will be going through the Company’s updated investor presentation, providing an in-depth overview of the Company’s current activities and upcoming milestones. Management will be available to answer questions following the presentation on the webinar platform via live Q&A.

Webinar Details Date: Tuesday, January 21st Time: 2:00pm ET (11:00am PT) Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8008133915045001483

Management will be available to answer questions following the presentation. To ask a question, please login to the GoToWebinar platform or email your question(s) beforehand to investor@e3metalscorp.com.

E3 Metals is a lithium development company with 6.7 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) inferred mineral resources1 in Alberta.  E3 Metals is currently advancing its proprietary Ion Exchange Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process in partnership with Livent Corporation under a Joint Development Agreement.  Livent is the world’s largest pure-play lithium producer, well-known for being one of the lowest cost producers of lithium carbonate.  With facilities across the globe, Livent holds technical expertise in the extraction and production of various lithium products. E3 Metals also continues to work with partners at the University of Alberta and at GreenCentre Canada.

Through the successful scale up its DLE process towards commercialization, E3 Metals plans to quickly move towards the production of high purity, battery grade, lithium products.  With a significant lithium resource and innovative technology solutions, E3 Metals has the potential to deliver lithium to market from one of the best jurisdictions in the world.  The development of this lithium resource through brine production is a well-understood venture in Alberta, where this brine is currently being produced to surface through an extensive existing oil and gas infrastructure and development.  For more information about E3 Metals, visit www.e3metalscorp.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Chris Doornbos, President & CEO

Chris Doornbos (P.Geo), CEO and Director of E3 Metals Corp., is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical information contained in this announcement.

1: E3 Metals has released information on three 43-101 Technical Reports totaling a resource of 6.7 Mt LCE. The Central Clearwater Resource Area (CCRA) Technical Report, identifying 1.9Mt LCE (inferred), is dated effective October 27, 2017, and the North Rocky Resource Area (NRRA) Technical Report was dated effective October 27, 2017, identifies 0.9Mt LCE (inferred). A third report for the Exshaw West Resource Area (EWRA), identifies 3.9Mt LCE (inferred) and was filed on June 15, 2018, effective June 4, 2018. All reports are available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com)

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements concerning the potential of the Company’s projects and technology, as well as management’s objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Forward looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend” and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the effectiveness and feasibility of emerging lithium extraction technologies which have not yet been tested or proven on a commercial scale or on the Company’s brine, competitive risks and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

Click here to connect with E3 Metals Corp. (TSXV:ETMC, FWB:OU7A, OTC:EEMMF) for an Investor Presentation.

Piedmont Lithium Limited (ASX:PLL,NASDAQ:PLL) has launched its campaign on the Investing News Network’s resource channel.

Piedmont Lithium is a resource exploration and development company focused on developing domestic sources of lithium for the emerging US electric vehicle market. The company’s flagship lithium project is located in North Carolina, proving easy access to America’s “auto alley”. The Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt (TSB) is home to the Kings Mountain district which is regarded as one of the three largest lithium-bearing pegmatite deposits in the world, attracting major mining companies including Livent Corporation (NYSE:LTHM) and Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB).

North Carolina has a wealth of mining infrastructure including access to power, research and development centers and downstream lithium processing facilities that are expected to enable efficient operations moving forward. Piedmont Lithium’s 2019 scoping study for its North Carolina project included a mine and concentrator capable of producing 160,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year and a steady-state 22,700 tonne per day lithium hydroxide chemical plant. Piedmont is on track to deliver a pre-feasibility study in Q2 2020.

Piedmont Lithium’s company highlights include the following:

Click here to connect with Piedmont Lithium Limited (ASX:PLL,NASDAQ:PLL) and to request an Investor Presentation.

E3 Metals Corp. (TSXV:ETMC, FSE:OU7A, OTC:EEMMF) (the “Company” or “E3” or “E3 Metals”) is pleased to announce that Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) has contributed the initial US $1.5 million dollars in relation to the Joint Development Agreement (the “Agreement”). This initial contribution marks the commencement of the Joint Development Project with Livent for the technical advancement of E3 Metals’ proprietary on exchange Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Process. The ultimate goal of the Agreement is to develop a process to produce battery quality lithium products from the lithium enriched brines located in the Leduc Formation in Alberta.

Livent will contribute up to US $5.5 million to the Joint Development Project. On satisfaction of the full US $5.5 millionin funding and completion of the Joint Development Project, for a period of 90 days, Livent will have the option to convert its US $5.5 million investment into 6,229,368 common shares in the capital of E3, representing 19.9% equity ownership of E3 based on the current share structure (the “Conversion”). Should Livent elect to proceed with the Conversion, Livent can appoint one member to E3’s Board of Directors, provided Livent maintains not less than a 5% equity interest in the Company. Under the Agreement, should Livent not provide the entire US $5.5 million, then: i), Livent is not entitled to the Conversion; ii) E3 has no obligation to return any funds contributed by Livent; iii) all E3 IP and jointly developed new IP (other than improvements to Livent IP) will revert to E3. Livent has also been granted additional limited anti-dilution rights.

“We are thrilled to be working with Livent to advance our proprietary process and the Alberta Lithium Project,” said Chris Doornbos, President and CEO of E3 Metals. “We believe this collaboration will accelerate the advancement of the innovative technology we have developed to date. The Joint Development Project demonstrates E3’s commitment to the commercialization of lithium in Alberta.”

In conjunction with the initial funding by Livent of the jointly owned and newly incorporated joint development company, and in accordance with the terms of its Financial Advisory Agreement with Hampson Equities Inc. (“HEL”), E3 has agreed to pay HEL a cash fee of CAD$119,610 (being 6% of the US$1.5 million contribution) and issue HEL 109,935 warrants (the “Warrants”), each Warrant being exercisable into a common share of E3 at a price of CA $1.17 per share for a period of 2 years from the date of issuance. The $1.17 conversion price for the Warrants is based on an implied share price valuation that assumes an investment of US $5.5 million using the current USD/CAD exchange rate and the issuance of 6,229,368 shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, E3 Metals makes no representations as to the current trading price of its shares in the public market or whether the entire US $5.5 million investment will be made.

For more than six decades, Livent has partnered with its customers to safely and sustainably use lithium to power the world. Livent is one of only a small number of companies with the capability, reputation, and know-how to produce high-quality finished lithium compounds that are helping meet the growing demand for lithium. The company has one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry, powering demand for green energy, modern mobility, the mobile economy, and specialized innovations, including light alloys and lubricants. Livent employs approximately 800 people throughout the world and operates manufacturing sites in the United States, England, India, China and Argentina. For more information, visit Livent.com.

E3 Metals is a lithium development company with 6.7 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) inferred mineral resources1 in Alberta. Through the scale up of its proprietary ion exchange direct lithium extraction process, E3 plans to quickly move towards the production of high purity, battery grade, lithium products.

E3 Metals combines a significant resource and innovative technology solutions that have the potential to deliver lithium to market in one of the best jurisdictions in the world. The development of this lithium resource through brine production is a well-understood venture in Alberta, where this brine is currently being produced to surface through extensive oil and gas development. For more information about E3 Metals, visit www.e3metalscorp.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Chris Doornbos, President & CEO E3 METALS CORP.

Chris Doornbos (P.Geo), CEO and Director of E3 Metals Corp., is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical information contained in this announcement.

1: E3 Metals has released information on three 43-101 Technical Reports totaling a resource of 6.7 Mt LCE. The Central Clearwater Resource Area (CCRA) Technical Report, identifying 1.9Mt LCE (inferred), is dated effective October 27, 2017, and the North Rocky Resource Area (NRRA) Technical Report was dated effective October 27, 2017, identifies 0.9Mt LCE (inferred). A third report for the Exshaw West Resource Area (EWRA), identifies 3.9Mt LCE (inferred) and was filed on June 15th 2018, effective June 4th 2018. All reports are available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com)

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements concerning the potential of the Company’s projects and technology, as well as management’s objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Forward looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend” and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the effectiveness and feasibility of emerging lithium extraction technologies which have not yet been tested or proven on a commercial scale or on the Company’s brine, competitive risks and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

Click here to connect with E3 Metals Corp. (TSXV:ETMC, FWB:OU7A, OTC:EEMMF) for an Investor Presentation.

Critical Resources Limited (ASX:CRR) (“Critical Resources” or “the Company”) is pleased to advise that following continued drilling success at Mavis Lake, the Company has approved an extension to its current drilling campaign at the Company’s 100 per cent-owned Mavis Lake Lithium Project (“the Project”) in Ontario, Canada.

Figure 1: Plan map of Historic, Active, and Proposed (Phase 3) Drill Collar Locations

Phase 3 drilling was approved after assessing the continued results from Phase 2, where drilling continues to intersect multiple spodumene-bearing pegmatites and strike extension to the east. The abundance of spodumene mineralisation (confirmed through visual assessment) appears to have increased in multiple zones with visual estimates as high as 40% spodumene laths within pegmatite over 6.25m in MF22-1231. Full details on drill holes MF22-122, MF22-123, MF22-124, MF22-125, MF22-126 and MF22-127 can be seen in Appendix 1.

Figure 2: Close up of large white spodumene laths within the zone of MF22-123 from 50.9 to 57.15m downhole

Assay work continues and results will be released as received.

A total of 9,481m of approved drilling has been completed to date, with the Company’s primary focus having been infill drilling and now extension drilling.

Immediate 100m drill-hole spacing will continue to test strike length and down-dip continuity to further delineate the spodumene-bearing pegmatites and underpin the development of a maiden JORC compliant resource.

Critical Resources Chairman Robert Martin commented:

“Having recently been on the ground at Mavis Lake and seeing the results that our in-country geologist, geological consultants and drilling crews are achieving, it was a very easy decision to increase the current program. Having consistently intercepted spodumene-bearing pegmatites and increasing strike length in a previously untested area is an excellent outcome, we believe our phase three program will continue this trend.

We look forward to the phase three drilling program confirming our view that the mineralised zones are continuing to the east, towards an area that has known and mapped pegmatites, providing a potential strike length up to 3km long.

The Company’s confidence in the asset, as we work towards delineating a maiden JORC Compliant Resource, is strong and as such we have began early stage planning and permitting for a Phase Four program.”

Click here for the full ASX Release

This article includes content from Critical Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.

Allkem Limited (ASX|TSX: AKE the Company ) provides financial results for the Allkem Group ( the Group ) for the full year ended 30 June 2022 which includes results of the former Galaxy assets for the 10-month period post-merger date, between 25 August 2021 to 30 June 2022.

Record financial results have been achieved in the first year of the highly successful merger of Orocobre Limited and Galaxy Resources. The merger has generated substantial value through the combination of outstanding operating assets and development projects.

The Company has restructured around the global portfolio and continues to strengthen the management, operating and development teams by attracting the highest quality personnel.

New development and expansions are expected to see the business expand three-fold by 2026 with the aim of maintaining 10% market share as the lithium industry continues to grow with the increasing adoption of electric vehicles.

Through effective management, the group has significantly improved safety performance, enhanced sales contract terms, continued product quality improvements, delivered positive cost performance throughout the year while implementing the merger and completed feasibility studies on three development projects which includes a 2.5x increase of the interim Olaroz resource to 16Mt LCE 1 and a 40% increase to Sal de Vida's production capacity to 45ktpa in two stages. 2

Allkem Managing Director and CEO, Martin Perez de Solay says:

"This has been a transformational year with the highly successful merger of Orocobre and Galaxy which now provides shareholders exposure to strongly profitable existing operations and an enviable suite of development assets.

"We achieved record revenue for the Group, not only from strengthened pricing but from successfully and safely producing high-quality lithium products from our global operations that have managed costs, improved safety performance and delivered record production during a period of supply chain disruption, labour shortage, high inflation and ongoing COVID-19 impacts.

"Amidst surging demand for lithium products our team also achieved significant advancements at all our development assets across the globe with both Olaroz Stage 2 and Naraha on the cusp of commissioning this calendar year. Sal de Vida construction is well underway and James Bay permitting is advancing.

"With two revenue generating operations being supplemented by new operations in FY23 and a strong balance sheet, we are fully funded to complete construction at Sal de Vida and the development of James Bay."

The Group produced a Group EBITDAIX of US$513.1 million and consolidated net profit after tax of US$337.2 million (2021: net loss of US$89.5 million). The net profit after tax includes one off charges of US$12.8 million for Galaxy acquisition costs, an inventory uplift on purchase price allocation related to the merger of US$12.4 million, US$13.4 million related to amortisation of customer contracts due to purchase price allocation, gains of US$32.0 million from financial instruments, and foreign exchange losses of US$9.6 million. Net finance costs were US$13.8 million.

Net assets of the Group increased to US$3,081 million as at 30 June 2022 (30 June 2021: US$725 million) including cash balances of US$664 million (30 June 2021: US$258 million). The increase in net assets and cash of US$2,356 million and US$406 million is mainly due to the Galaxy merger transaction.

Group capital expenditure and exploration and evaluation for the year totalled US$261.4 million (30 June 2021: US$97.6 million) and the Mizuho Stage 1 and Pre-export loan facilities were reduced by ~US$33.7 million.

This release was authorised by Mr Martin Perez de Solay, CEO and Managing Director of Allkem Limited.

This investor ASX/TSX release ( Release ) has been prepared by Allkem Limited (ACN 112 589 910) (the Company or Allkem ). It contains general information about the Company as at the date of this Release. The information in this Release should not be considered to be comprehensive or to comprise all of the material which a shareholder or potential investor in the Company may require in order to determine whether to deal in Shares of Allkem. The information in this Release is of a general nature only and does not purport to be complete. It should be read in conjunction with the Company's periodic and continuous disclosure announcements which are available at allkem.co and with the Australian Securities Exchange ( ASX ) announcements, which are available at www.asx.com.au .

This Release does not take into account the financial situation, investment objectives, tax situation or particular needs of any person and nothing contained in this Release constitutes investment, legal, tax, accounting or other advice, nor does it contain all the information which would be required in a disclosure document or prospectus prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ( Corporations Act ). Readers or recipients of this Release should, before making any decisions in relation to their investment or potential investment in the Company, consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own individual investment objectives and financial situation and seek their own professional investment, legal, taxation and accounting advice appropriate to their particular circumstances.

This Release does not constitute or form part of any offer, invitation, solicitation or recommendation to acquire, purchase, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of, or issue, any Shares or any other financial product. Further, this Release does not constitute financial product, investment advice (nor tax, accounting or legal advice) or recommendation, nor shall it or any part of it or the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract or investment decision.

The distribution of this Release in other jurisdictions outside Australia may also be restricted by law and any restrictions should be observed. Any failure to comply with such restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws.

Past performance information given in this Release is given for illustrative purposes only and should not be relied upon as (and is not) an indication of future performance.

Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and beliefs and, by their nature, are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performances and achievements to differ materially from any expected future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the risk of further changes in government regulations, policies or legislation; the risks associated with the continued implementation of the merger between the Company and Galaxy Resources Ltd, risks that further funding may be required, but unavailable, for the ongoing development of the Company's projects; fluctuations or decreases in commodity prices; uncertainty in the estimation, economic viability, recoverability and processing of mineral resources; risks associated with development of the Company Projects; unexpected capital or operating cost increases; uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones at the Company's Projects; risks associated with investment in publicly listed companies, such as the Company; and risks associated with general economic conditions.

Subject to any continuing obligation under applicable law or relevant listing rules of the ASX, the Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this Release to reflect any change in expectations in relation to any forward-looking statements or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. Nothing in this Release shall under any circumstances (including by reason of this Release remaining available and not being superseded or replaced by any other Release or publication with respect to the subject matter of this Release), create an implication that there has been no change in the affairs of the Company since the date of this Release.

Competent Person Statement Olaroz Any information in this announcement that relates to Olaroz Project Mineral Resources is extracted from the report entitled "Olaroz resource upgraded 2.5x to 16.2 million tonnes LCE" released on 4 April 2022 which is available to view on www.allkem.co and www.asx.com.au . The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcements and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the Mineral Resources estimates in the relevant market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement.

Any information in this announcement relating to Olaroz scientific or technical information, production targets or forecast financial information derived from a production target is extracted from the ASX Announcement entitled entitled "Olaroz resource upgraded 2.5x to 16.1 million tonnes LCE" released on 4 April 2022 which is available to view on www.allkem.co and www.asx.com.au . The Company confirms that all the material assumptions underpinning the scientific or technical information, production targets or the forecast financial information derived from a production target in the original market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed.

Cauchari Any information in this release that relates to Cauchari Project Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves is extracted from the release entitled "Cauchari JORC Resource increases to 4.8 million tonnes Measured + Indicated and 1.5 million tonnes Inferred LCE" released on 7 March 2019 which is available to view on www.allkem.co and www.asx.com.au . The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcements and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimates in the relevant market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement.

Sal de Vida Any information in this announcement that relates to Sal de Vida Project Exploration Results, Mineral Resources & Ore Reserves is extracted from the report entitled "Sal de Vida capacity increased to 45ktpa in two stages" released on 4 April 2022 which is available to view on www.allkem.co and www.asx.com.au . The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcements and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves estimates in the relevant market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement.

Any information in this announcement relating to Sal de Vida scientific or technical information, production targets or forecast financial information derived from a production target is extracted from the ASX Announcement entitled "Sal de Vida capacity increased to 45ktpa in two stages" released on 4 April 2022 which is available to view on www.allkem.co and www.asx.com.au . The Company confirms that all the material assumptions underpinning the scientific or technical information, production targets or the forecast financial information derived from a production target in the original market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed.

Not for release or distribution in the United States This announcement has been prepared for publication in Australia and may not be released to U.S. wire services or distributed in the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction, and neither this announcement or anything attached to this announcement shall form the basis of any contract or commitment. Any securities described in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States except in transactions registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 or exempt from, or not subject to, the registration of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

1 Refer to ‘Olaroz Interim Resource Update and Stage 2 Economics' released on 4 April 2022. 2 Refer to ‘Sal de Vida capacity increased to 45ktpa in two stages' released on 4 April 2022. 3 All figures 100% Olaroz Project basis. 4 Allkem report Olaroz price as "FOB" (Free On Board) which excludes insurance and freight charges included in "CIF" (Cost, Insurance, Freight) pricing. Therefore, the Company's reported prices are net of freight (shipping), insurance and sales commission. FOB prices are reported by the Company to provide clarity on the sales revenue that is recognized by SDJ, the joint venture company in Argentina.

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Allkem Limited (ASX: AKE, " Allkem " or the " Company ") provides an update for its Mt Cattlin operation in Western Australia.

Recent results from Mt Cattlin mining operations, as well impacts from on-going labour shortages in Western Australia, have resulted in a review of production guidance for FY23.

Many Western Australian mining operations continue to suffer from a severe shortage and high turnover of staff which is exacerbated by COVID-19 related absences. At Mt Cattlin this has resulted in a further delay in pre-strip activities at the new 2NW pit.

Previous production guidance assumed that a small upper lens of mineralisation would provide ore for processing while the main ore zones are being exposed. Unfortunately, the mineralogy of this upper lens has not been amenable to processing through the plant as currently configured due to its fine-grained nature. This will lower production for the next 4-6 weeks while the main orebody is exposed by pre-stripping operations, at which time normal production levels will resume.

Consequently, Allkem currently anticipates that FY23 annual production at Mt Cattlin will be approximately 140-150kt compared to the previous guidance of 160-170kt. Production will be split approximately 15%, 20%, 30%, 35% across each respective quarter and with FY23 costs expected to be approximately US$900/t. As advised in the June Quarterly Report , ore grades will increase from 0.93-0.94% in the current year to 1.17% in FY24 which will have a beneficial impact on costs and production.

Mitigation actions at site are already well underway and include the mobilisation of an additional mining contractor, the replacement and upsizing of mining equipment with the existing mining contractor, the installation of magnetic ore sorters to allow the processing of low-grade stockpiles and advanced metallurgical test work on the fine-grained ore.

So far this quarter Allkem has sold two trial shipments for a total of 30,000 tonnes of low grade (~1.3%) spodumene concentrate at an average realised price of between US$500/t and US$600/t CIF. In order to offset the deferred delivery of SC6 spodumene volumes, Allkem is currently in advanced discussions with existing customers to substitute up to 100,000 tonnes of the lower grade material during the current half year.

Allkem commenced a three-phase resource extension program in mid-April that targets 147 holes for approximately 32,685 metres of reverse circulation (" RC" ) drilling.

The first two phases will target the immediate extension to mine-life at depth. The first phase aims to convert ~3.2Mt of resource from the inferred to indicated category. The second phase will test two pegmatite lenses of approximately 4.2Mt of existing inferred resource along strike and at depth in conjunction with a study to evaluate either the opencut or underground development of potential resource extensions.

As of this date of this announcement, 60 holes and approximately 14,000m of drilling had been completed and an update on results will be provided later in September. The current drilling program is expected to be completed towards the end of CY22 and results have not been incorporated in the 2022 Mineral Resource estimate.

Figure 1: Mt Cattlin Mineral Resource/Reserve and pit shells https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5d84292f-3b9e-4c1f-90fb-7849d34027bd

The Mineral Resource Estimate at 30 June 2022 is presented in Table 1 and represents the combination of the 2018 Mineral Resource with a stand-alone 2021 2NW pit estimate, depleted for mining activities from 31 March 2021 to 30 June 2022. As in previous years the cut-off grade used was 0.4% Li 2 O whilst the pit shell used within which to estimate the Mineral Resource was generated at US$1,100/t at 6% Li 2 O concentrate grade (c.f. US$900/t in 2021).

Table 1: Mt Cattlin Mineral Resource at 30 June 2022

Notes: Reported at cut-off grade of 0.4% Li 2 O contained within a pit shell generated at a spodumene price of USD1,100 at 6% Li 2 0. The preceding statements of Mineral Resources conforms to the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code) 2012 edition. All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes. Excludes mineralisation classified as oxide and transitional. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate significant figures. RPEEE is defined as reasonable prospects for eventual economic evaluation.

The FY2022 Mineral Resource estimate takes into account both mining of resources from the current open pit mine and depletion of stockpiles, and includes results from the 2021 infill drilling results from the 2NW deposit. Remnant Mineral Resources under the backfilled 2SW pit has also been included as potential underground feed.

A description of the major factors that resulted in changes from the 2021 Mineral Resource to the 2022 Mineral Resource are as follows:

The Mineral Resource estimate, mining depletion and reporting was completed by Allkem staff. Allkem has assumed responsibility for the logging, sampling, analytical and quality assurance/quality control protocols currently in place for estimates and depletions.

Allkem has reviewed and updated the Mt Cattlin Ore Reserve, incorporating 2021 infill drilling results from the 2NW deposit, the depletion of the 2NE pit and evaluation of remnant deeper resource under the 2SW pit. Within this review, depleted mined material and site stockpiles at 30 June 2022 and material to be mined after this date are presented in accordance with JORC (2012) Ore Reserve Reporting.

Mt Cattlin's Ore Reserve at 30 June 2022 is presented in Table 3 and is based on the remaining Ore Reserves with the current mine design utilising the model from the 2021 Mineral Resource estimate with the application of modifying factors.

Like the 2021 annual review, modifying factors and mining reconciliation were reviewed by the Competent Person and reflect Allkem's continued strategy to utilise front-end optical sorters to upgrade and process low-grade stockpiled ore. A dilution factor of 17% applied to the Ore Reserve and a mining recovery of 93% of diluted material reflects the current practice of mining to horizontal flitches and benches.

At 30 June, 2022 the 2NW pit pre-strip had advanced such that first ore had daylighted in the pit floor in blasted stocks, approximately 70Kt of ore has been depleted at the period end.

Table 3: Mt Cattlin Ore Reserve as at 30 June 2022

Notes: Reported at cut-off grade of 0.4 % Li 2 O within current mine design. The preceding statements of Ore Reserves conforms to the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code) 2012 edition. All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes. Reported with 17% dilution and 93% mining recovery. Revenue factor US$650/tonne applied. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate significant figures.

Table 4: Mt Cattlin Ore Reserve as at 31 March 2021

Notes: Reported at cut-off grade of 0.4 % Li 2 O within current mine design. The preceding statements of Ore Reserves conforms to the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code) 2012 edition. All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes. Reported with 17% dilution and 93% mining recovery. Revenue factor US$650/tonne applied. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate significant figures.

A description of the major factors that resulted in changes from the 2021 Ore Reserve to the 2022 Ore Reserve is as follows:

The Ore Reserve does not take into account the infill drilling results from the 2NW deposit and the mine design has not been changed to take into account increase in Mineral Resources due to changes in pit shell. A revised mine design based on an updated Mineral Resource will be undertaken after the completion of the current major drilling programme.

Appropriate assessments and studies have been carried out and include consideration of and modification by realistically assumed mining, metallurgical, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social and governmental factors. These assessments demonstrate at the time of reporting that extraction could reasonably be justified.

RESOURCE AND RESERVE CONTROLS & GOVERNANCE

Allkem ensures that quoted Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimates are subject to internal controls and external review at both project and corporate levels. Mineral Resource and Ore Reserves are estimated and reported in accordance with the 2012 edition of the JORC Code.

Allkem stores and collects exploration data using industry standard software that contains internal validation checks. Exploration samples from drilling have certified reference material standards introduced to the sample stream at set ratios, typically 1 per 25 samples. These are reported as necessary to the relevant Competent Persons to assess both accuracy and precision of the assay data applied to resource estimates. In resource modelling, block models are validated by checking the input drill hole composites against the block model grades by domain.

Allkem engages independent, qualified experts on a commercial fee for service basis, to undertake Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve audits. Allkem internally reconciles the resource outcomes to validate both the process and the outcome. RPEEE has been tested against a Whittle Optimisation with only the revenue factor changed from USD 900 to 1,100.

The Company has developed its internal systems and controls to maintain JORC compliance in all external reporting, including the preparation of all reported data by Competent Persons who are members of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy or a ‘Recognised Professional Organisation'. As set out above, the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve statements included in this announcement were reviewed by suitably qualified Competent Persons (below) prior to their inclusion, in the form and context announced.

This release was authorised by Mr Martin Perez de Solay, CEO and Managing Director of Allkem Limited.

This investor ASX/TSX release ( Release ) has been prepared by Allkem Limited (ACN 112 589 910) (the Company or Allkem ). It contains general information about the Company as at the date of this Release. The information in this Release should not be considered to be comprehensive or to comprise all of the material which a shareholder or potential investor in the Company may require in order to determine whether to deal in Shares of Allkem. The information in this Release is of a general nature only and does not purport to be complete. It should be read in conjunction with the Company's periodic and continuous disclosure announcements which are available at allkem.co and with the Australian Securities Exchange ( ASX ) announcements, which are available at www.asx.com.au .

This Release does not take into account the financial situation, investment objectives, tax situation or particular needs of any person and nothing contained in this Release constitutes investment, legal, tax, accounting or other advice, nor does it contain all the information which would be required in a disclosure document or prospectus prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ( Corporations Act ). Readers or recipients of this Release should, before making any decisions in relation to their investment or potential investment in the Company, consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own individual investment objectives and financial situation and seek their own professional investment, legal, taxation and accounting advice appropriate to their particular circumstances.

This Release does not constitute or form part of any offer, invitation, solicitation or recommendation to acquire, purchase, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of, or issue, any Shares or any other financial product. Further, this Release does not constitute financial product, investment advice (nor tax, accounting or legal advice) or recommendation, nor shall it or any part of it or the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract or investment decision.

The distribution of this Release in other jurisdictions outside Australia may also be restricted by law and any restrictions should be observed. Any failure to comply with such restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws.

Past performance information given in this Release is given for illustrative purposes only and should not be relied upon as (and is not) an indication of future performance.

Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and beliefs and, by their nature, are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performances and achievements to differ materially from any expected future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the risk of further changes in government regulations, policies or legislation; the risks associated with the continued implementation of the merger between the Company and Galaxy Resources Ltd, risks that further funding may be required, but unavailable, for the ongoing development of the Company's projects; fluctuations or decreases in commodity prices; uncertainty in the estimation, economic viability, recoverability and processing of mineral resources; risks associated with development of the Company Projects; unexpected capital or operating cost increases; uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones at the Company's Projects; risks associated with investment in publicly listed companies, such as the Company; and risks associated with general economic conditions.

Subject to any continuing obligation under applicable law or relevant listing rules of the ASX, the Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this Release to reflect any change in expectations in relation to any forward-looking statements or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. Nothing in this Release shall under any circumstances (including by reason of this Release remaining available and not being superseded or replaced by any other Release or publication with respect to the subject matter of this Release), create an implication that there has been no change in the affairs of the Company since the date of this Release.

The information in this announcement that relates to Exploration Results and Mineral Resources is based on information compiled by Albert Thamm, B.Sc. (Hons)., M.Sc. F.Aus.IMM, a Competent Person who is a Fellow of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Albert Thamm is a full-time employee of Galaxy Resources Pty. Limited. Albert Thamm has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Albert Thamm consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

The information in this announcement that relates to the 30 June 2022 Mt Cattlin Ore Reserve is based on information compiled by Keith Muller, B. Eng. (Mining), M. Eng. (Mining), F.Aus.IMM (CP Mining), a Competent Person who is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Keith Muller is a full-time employee of Galaxy Resources Pty. Ltd. Keith Muller has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Keith Muller consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

The scientific and technical information contained in this announcement has been reviewed and approved by Albert Thamm, as it relates to geology, exploration, drilling, sample preparation, data verification and the depleted Mineral Resource and Keith Muller, BEng Mining, M. Eng. F.Aus.IMM (CP Mining) as it relates to the Mineral Reserve, mining methods and infrastructure; mineral processing, recovery methods, market studies, permitting, environmental and social studies, capital and operating cost estimates and economic analysis.

Not for release or distribution in the United States

This announcement has been prepared for publication in Australia and may not be released to U.S. wire services or distributed in the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction, and neither this announcement or anything attached to this announcement shall form the basis of any contract or commitment. Any securities described in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States except in transactions registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 or exempt from, or not subject to, the registration of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and applicable U.S. state securities laws.

Appendix 1 – JORC 2012 Table 1 Disclosure is available at www.allkem.co

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Unlike some of its rivals, US electric vehicle pioneer Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has been making moves to secure supply of the raw materials it needs to meet its production targets.

In recent years, lithium has caught the attention of CEO Elon Musk. Back in 2020, lithium had a spotlight moment at Tesla’s Battery Day, when Musk shared with investors that the company had bought some tenements in Nevada and was looking for a new way to produce lithium from clay — a process yet to be proven at commercial scale.

Since then, lithium prices have been on an uptrend, hitting all-time highs and currently holding on to gains. As a result of price spikes, not only for lithium but other key battery metals, battery costs have increased. Raw materials currently make up about 80 percent of battery costs, up from around 40 percent back in 2015, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.

“Price of lithium has gone to insane levels,” Musk tweeted back in April. “There is no shortage of the element itself, as lithium is almost everywhere on Earth, but the pace of extraction/refinement is slow.”

Most lithium mining happens in Australia, from hard rock, and Chile, from brines. But lithium refining is dominated by China, which currently accounts for more than 75 percent of global lithium processing capacity.

“I’d like to once again urge entrepreneurs to enter the lithium refining business. The mining is relatively easy, the refining is much harder,” Musk said on a July earnings call, adding there are software-like margins to be made in lithium processing. “You can’t lose, it’s a license to print money.”

It wasn’t just lithium that saw prices climb last year — cobalt doubled in price in 2021. Most cobalt mining takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been often associated with child labour and human right abuses, fueling concerns over supply of this battery metal in the long term.

In its batteries, Tesla is known for using nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) cathodes developed by Japanese company Panasonic (TSE:6752). This type of cathode has higher energy density and is a low cobalt option, but has been less adopted by the industry compared to the widely used nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cathodes. Those aren't the only cathodes containing cobalt that Tesla plans to use; South Korean LG Energy Solutions is working on supplying Tesla with batteries using nickel-manganese-cobalt-aluminum cathodes.

That said, not all Tesla’s batteries contain cobalt. For its standard-range vehicles, Tesla said last year it was changing the battery chemistry it uses to lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cathodes. This type of cathode is cobalt- and nickel-free. At the time, the company was already making vehicles with LFP chemistry at its factory in Shanghai, which supplies markets in China, the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

For those interested in the electric vehicle space, it is a fair question to ask — how much lithium is there really in a Tesla battery? The answer is that even though it might not be huge compared to other raw materials, it can become a hurdle for any EV maker if there’s not enough, and enough of the right quality.

Back in 2016, Musk said batteries don't need as much lithium as they need nickel or graphite — describing lithium as "the salt in your salad" — saying it is about 2 percent of the cell mass.

Metal content of battery chemistries by weight.

But a key factor to remember is volume — given the amount of batteries Tesla needs to deliver its ambitious goals, if it can’t secure a steady supply of raw materials, it could hit a bottleneck. Of course this is true not just for Tesla, but for every carmaker producing EVs today and setting targets for decades to come.

In fact, demand for lithium is expected to soar in coming years. By 2030, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence forecasts lithium demand will reach 2.4 million metric tons (MT) lithium carbonate equivalent — much higher than the forecasted 600,000 MT of supply expected to be produced in 2022.

There is not only one company that supplies lithium to Tesla. At the end of 2021, Tesla inked a fresh three-year lithium supply deal with top lithium producer Ganfeng (OTC Pink:GNENF,SZSE:002460). The Chinese company will provide products to Tesla for three years starting from 2022. Top lithium producers Livent (NYSE:LTHM) and Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) also have supply contracts in place with the US EV maker, and China’s Sichuan Yahua Industrial Group (SZSE:002497) agreed to supply battery-grade lithium hydroxide to the EV maker back in 2020 for a period of five years.

The company also holds deals with junior mining companies for production that is yet to come on stream. Australia’s Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR) is set to supply Tesla with lithium spodumene concentrate from its AU$473 million Kathleen Valley project. The deal is for an initial five year period set to begin in 2024, conditional on Liontown starting commercial production by 2025.

Core Lithium (ASX:CXO), another ASX-listed company, also signed a deal with Elon Musk’s Tesla to supply the car company with up to 110,000 MT of lithium oxide spodumene concentrate from its Finniss lithium project over four years. Core will begin supplying Tesla in the second half of 2023.

Even though Tesla has secured lithium from all these companies, the EV supply chain is a bit more complex than buying lithium directly from miners. Tesla also works with battery makers, such as Panasonic or CATL (SZSE:300750), which themselves work with other chemical companies that secure their own lithium deals.

For carmakers, securing lithium supply to meet their electrification goals is becoming a challenge, which is why the question on whether they would become miners in the future continues to come up.

As mentioned before, back in 2020, at the company's Battery Day event, Musk surprised the lithium industry by saying Tesla had acquired rights to lithium-rich clay deposits in Nevada, saying it had found a way to mine the material in a sustainable and simple way — using table salt and water.

But mining lithium is not an easy task and one that, despite speculation, is hard to imagine an automaker being involved in, SQM’s (NYSE:SQM) Felipe Smith said at an event in June.

“You have to build a learning curve — the resources are all different, there are many challenges in terms of technology — to reach a consistent quality at a reasonable cost,” he said. “So it's difficult to see that an OEM, which has a completely different focus, will really engage into these challenges of producing.”

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are coming to the realization that they might need to build up EV supply chains from scratch after the capital markets' failure to step up, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s Simon Moores. Furthermore, automotive OEMs that are making EVs will in effect have to become miners.

“I don't mean actual miners, but they are going to have to start buying 25 percent of these mines if they want to guarantee supply — paper contracts won't be enough,” he said.

Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Priscila Barrera, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.

Growing demand for battery metals is giving a wide variety of investors a good reason to be interested in lithium stocks.

Seasoned metals investors who want to look beyond silver and gold are getting involved, while new investors are being drawn into the space by discussions around increasing consumer demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and government initiatives for building out EV infrastructure.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to get familiar with the lithium market before investing in lithium stocks. Here is a brief overview of some of the basics.

Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal used in pharmaceuticals, ceramics, grease, lubricants and heat-resistant glass. It’s also used in lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from cell phones to laptops to EVs — demand for lithium from this sector is growing rapidly.

Lithium is found globally in hard-rock deposits, evaporated brines and clay deposits. There’s some contention as to which type of deposit is superior, but generally there are tradeoffs for any option.

The world’s largest hard-rock mine is the Greenbushes mine in Australia, and the bulk of the world’s lithium brine production comes from salars in Chile and Argentina. Most large lithium reserves are in Chile, and the prolific “lithium triangle” spans Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Australia was once again the world’s largest lithium producer in 2021, followed by Chile and China.

There’s more than one type of lithium product out there. Technical-grade lithium is used in ceramics, glass and other industrial applications, while battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, which are much more expensive, are used to make lithium-ion batteries. These lithium products can also be used for technical applications in a pinch.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) was the first carmaker to stoke a lot of excitement in the lithium space. The company’s Nevada-based gigafactory is what first began to drive lithium excitement, but it’s not the only lithium-ion battery megafactory that Tesla has planned.

Tesla is also not the only firm with megafactory ambitions — as Benchmark Mineral Intelligence has pointed out that in 2020, China was building battery megafactories at a rate of one every week. Of the 300 lithium-ion battery megafactories the firm is tracking, 226 are in China, while 30 are in Europe and 23 are in North America.

Auto manufacturers such as GM (NYSE:GM) and Ford (NYSE:F) have ramped up their EV production plans. Notably, in the US the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act includes investing US$369 billion on climate action and energy, including on EVs and EV infrastructure.

In short, the world will continue to need a lot of lithium supply, and some of the major lithium miners are already trying to make sure they’ll be able to provide it.

For example, in early 2021, top lithium miner Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) announced plans to double lithium production over the next five years at its Silver Peak operation in Nevada in order to keep up with rising EV demand in North America. This will require an investment of US$30 to US$50 million.

Another large lithium producer, Livent (NYSE:LTHM), which was spun off of FMC (NYSE:FMC) in 2018, is completing a 5,000 metric ton (MT) hydroxide addition at its US project; it is expected to reach commercial production by the end of 2022. Livent’s carbonate expansion to double its capacity to 40,000 MT in Argentina is expected to hit commercial production in 2023. The company is looking to add an additional 30,000 MT of capacity by 2030.

These market-shaping events and many more have analysts bullish on long-term fundamentals for the metal, in particular lithium demand, as adoption of electric cars increases.

So where should investors interested in lithium stocks begin? To start, it helps to understand the lithium production landscape.

For a long time, most lithium was produced by an oligopoly of lithium producers often referred to as the “Big 3”: Albemarle, SQM (NYSE:SQM) and FMC. Rockwood Holdings was on that list too before it was acquired by Albemarle several years ago, making Albemarle that much bigger.

However, the list of the world’s top lithium-mining companies has changed in recent years. The companies mentioned above still produce the majority of the world’s lithium, but China accounts for a large chunk of output as well. The Asian nation was the third largest lithium-producing country in 2021.

But the biggest producer continues to be Australia. In recent years, Australian mining company IGO (ASX:IGO) announced the purchase of a 49 percent stake in Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia, giving it a 25 percent interest in the Greenbushes lithium mining and processing operation, as well as a 49 percent interest in Tianqi’s Western Australia-based Kwinana lithium hydroxide plant.

An up-and-coming lithium deposit is Liontown Resources' (ASX:LTR) Kathleen Valley deposit in Western Australia near Kalgoorlie. A feasibility study was completed in winter 2021, with projections for annual production of 50,000 MT beginning in 2024.

In other words, lithium investors need to be keeping an eye on lithium-mining companies in Australia in addition to the New York-listed chemical companies that produce the material.

Of course, smaller lithium stocks are worth watching too — to find out which ones are currently thriving, check out our top lithium stocks article. You can also check out our top Australian lithium stocks article.

Getting a look at lithium prices isn’t easy, and that can make it difficult for investors who are looking to assess the viability of a given project. Pricing in the lithium industry has always been opaque due to the dominance of a few major producers, with investors having very little pricing information they can trust.

Simon Moores, managing director at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, has emphasized that pricing can be a difficult concept for lithium investors to grasp. “The biggest myth surrounding pricing is ‘what is the price of lithium?’ because there is no one price,” he explained.

“The newcomers want one lithium price, but the existing market has a wide range of lithium chemicals and then grades within a specification,” Moores continued.

His company publishes six lithium carbonate grades with a minimum specification of 99 percent Li2CO3 purity, four lithium hydroxide grades with a minimum specification of 55 percent LiOH and a spodumene feedstock price with a standard specification of 6 percent Li2O.

Benchmark also releases broader global-weighted average prices for lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, plus a lithium price index, all on a monthly basis. For more on methodology, click here.

In an effort to bring more transparency to lithium prices, the London Metal Exchange (LME) has partnered with price reporting agency Fastmarkets to launch a lithium futures contract. The LME battery-grade hydroxide cash-settled futures contract allows players throughout the lithium supply chain to lessen the severity of price volatility.

This is an updated version of article originally published by the Investing News Network in 2015.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Arcadia Minerals Limited (ASX:AM7, FRA:8OH) (Arcadia or the Company), the diversified exploration company targeting a suite of projects aimed at Tantalum, Lithium, Nickel, Copper, and Gold in Namibia, is pleased to announce an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for its Bitterwasser Lithium-in-Clay Project from the Eden Pan in Kalkrand, Namibia.

Philip le Roux, the CEO of Arcadia stated: “We’re encouraged by the significant increase in metal content at the Bitterwasser Lithium-in-Clay project, which is now equivalent to a 1% Li2O hard rock resource of 11.6Mt. This resource is within the first twelve metres from surface, open at depth and covers only one of the known fourteen exposed clay pans in the area, so these factors along with the potential for further pans obscured by mobile Kalahari dunes, have the potential to expand the Bitterwasser lithium resource substantially. In addition, the recently announced Cyclone Test Work and early tests around leachability of the ore using environmentally friendly and low cost lixiviants, suggests the potential of feeding a comparatively competitive leach- plant with higher grade material. This will now be investigated through our association with the University of Stellenbosch in producing a bench-scale lithium carbonate product for battery grade use”.

Jurie Wessels, the Executive Chairman of Arcadia stated: With a significant clay mineral resource in hand, combined with the prospect of increasing it over similar geological terrain and early indications of competitive leachability, we are now looking forward to investigating the bench-scale production of a metallurgical lithium carbonate, and, possibly, project economics thereafter. In addition, our work program, which is based on the geological model for Bitterwasser2, to explore the vaster potential of the 4,000Km2 Bitterwasser basin for lithium brines is progressing well, details of which will be shortly announced”.

The previous JORC Mineral Resource released on 3 November 20213 has been revised following the Phase 2 drilling program4 and comprises an updated JORC Mineral Resource defined over Eden Pan of 85.2 million tonnes @ 633ppm for 286,909t Li2CO3 (LCE) wholly classified in the Inferred Category. This updated resource represents a ~560% increase in resource and 430% increase in metal content.

The updated Mineral Resource estimate is based on 77 auger drill holes and 486 core samples taken (refer to Annexure 1 read with Annexure 2 for drilling results). The Mineral Resource estimate (refer to Annexure 3 hereto for JORC Tables) was based on two groups of resources, namely the Upper and Middle Units, which refers all the material inside the wire frames, and the Secondary Unit which refers to the economic mineralisation material outside the wire frames. A summary of the estimated JORC compliant Mineral Resources for the Bitterwasser Project at various cut-off grades is provided in Table 1 below. The estimate includes all the main mineralised geological domains.

Click here for the full ASX Release

This article includes content from Arcadia Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.

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