Global Lithium-ion Battery Market Set to Grow on Increasing Battery Applications

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Nemaska Lithium, Inc. is a developing chemical company whose activities will be vertically integrated, from spodumene mining to the commercialization of high-purity lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate. Nemaska Lithium Inc. and Northvolt AB recently announced the signature of an agreement providing for the supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide by the Corporation to Northvolt. On April 27th, 2018 Nemaska Lithium announced an agreement in principle with Northvolt. This agreement is now superseded by a definitive 5-year supply agreement. Under this agreement, Nemaska Lithium agrees to supply, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Nemaska Lithium Shawinigan Transformation Inc., and Northvolt agrees to purchase, on a take-or-pay basis, up to 5,000 but not less than 3,500 metric tons per year of lithium hydroxide produced at the Corporation's commercial plant in Shawinigan, for a 5-year supply period commencing upon the start of commercial production at both the Shawinigan Plant and Northvolt's projected Skellefteå factory in Sweden. Under this agreement, Northvolt has agreed to deliver to the Corporation a EUR 10M promissory note. "We are very pleased to have moved this agreement in principle to a firm contract. Northvolt is not the only one to share our vision of a green energy future powered by lithium ion batteries. Our ongoing discussions with buyers reflect a very tight market for high purity lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate. We continue to field inbound calls looking for supply of battery grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate. However, with approximately 90% of its future annual production capacity already committed, Nemaska Lithium is currently more focused on properly executing the construction and upcoming commissioning of its project to satisfy its existing clients," said Guy Bourassa, president and chief executive officer of Nemaska Lithium.

MGX Minerals Inc. is a diversified Canadian resource company with interests in advanced material and energy assets throughout North America. MGX Minerals Inc. and Highbury Energy Inc. recently reported that additional work has commenced on gasification of petroleum coke, an oilsands and refinery by-product, into a synthetic liquid equivalent to refinery crude oil feedstock. The expanded research and development is focused on the re-processing of petcoke waste product to a synthetic crude oil. The target specification is being designed to allow for reuse of petcoke into a primary input equivalent to crude oil that can be upgraded into petro-chemical products in a traditional refinery without any modification to existing equipment. The goal is to produce a fuel which can seamlessly integrate into existing refinery operations. This represents a potential long-term use for the large existing stockpiles of petcoke as well as ongoing output of petcoke and other waste products without significant changes to the existing refinery infrastructure. To date work has been focused on petcoke to hydrogen gas output and the extraction of metals from the gasification of the residual ash, in particular vanadium, nickel, and cobalt.

American Lithium Corp. is actively engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of lithium deposits within mining-friendly jurisdictions throughout the Americas. The Company recently announced the results of its first sampling program on the Tonopah Lithium Claims. The TLC Project is an early stage 1,550-acre lithium claystone project located minutes from the mining center of Tonopah, Nevada, and required infrastructure. American Lithium has conducted an initial sampling program to confirm and demonstrate the potential of the TLC project. 22 samples were taken at 11 sample site that confirmed as well as expanded on the sample assays presented by the vendors Alaska Nevada. Grab samples were taken at 11 sample sites at depth of 15 cm to ensure the claystone was not leached. Grab samples graded ranging from 129.5 to 1380 ppm Li with a mean grade of 608.5 ppm Li. A second set of chip samples were taken over a depth of 15 to 45 cm to give an understanding on consistency of the grade over a short stratigraphic interval. Chip samples graded ranging from 131.0 to 1340 ppm Li with a mean grade of 704.5 ppm Li.

Advantage Lithium Corp. is a lithium brine development company specializing in the strategic acquisition and development of properties in Argentina and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Advantage Lithium Corp. recently provided this update on the brine sampling results from diamond core hole CAU22 in the SE Sector of the Cauchari JV property located in Jujuy Province, Argentina. Systematic brine sampling completed in CAU22 averaged 549 mg/l lithium and 3,630 mg/l potassium from 146.5-290.5 m depth, with samples not yet received below this depth. The brine shows a similar grade and very low average Mg/Li ratio of 2.4:1, similar to that demonstrated during pumping of CAU11 - excellent for conventional brine processing. President & Chief Executive Officer Mr. David Sidoo commented: "Continuing excellent results from CAU22 highlight again our Resource Development Teams' understanding of the Cauchari basin and the likelihood we can grow our resource base to support our DFS and reserve estimate. The Phase III systematic drilling and sampling program has confirmed the extension of mineralized brine below the 300 m depth of the existing resource in the east of the SE Sector, with geophysics suggesting the brine mineralization extends further east than in the current resource. The Mg/Li continues to be low in this area, with positive brine chemistry. With 4 drilling rigs operating we are on schedule with the resource conversion program that aims to upgrade the resource to Measured and Indicated status. Additionally, we are beginning extended pumping tests in test wells CAU07 and CAU11 which will give us important hydraulic characteristics to complete the dynamic model for reserves."

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