Rio Tinto Lithium Strategy, Silver & REE Outlook, Europe Funding + 121 Panel

Dec 6, 2025

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The discussion opens with a detailed assessment of Rio Tinto's Lithium Strategy Day—its updated demand outlook, cost assumptions, expansion plans in Argentina and Canada, and the organizational shift aligning lithium with the aluminum division. Howard and Matt examine implications for hard-rock supply, brine dominance, and potential M&A in Quebec.

Chapters

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:46) Rio Tinto Strategy Overview
(00:15:19) Q2 Metals Drill Results
(00:18:03) NOA Lithium and Brine Scarcity
(00:20:12) Europe: EMH and Vulcan News
(00:27:02) Rare Earth Supply Risks
(00:31:00) Solar Growth and Silver Demand
(00:32:40) Physical Silver Squeeze
(00:35:47) Closing Remarks

(00:37:14) 121: NOA Lithium Brines
(00:40:42) Q2 Metals in Quebec
(00:42:39) Geopolitics & Critical Minerals
(00:43:49) Permitting Challenges
(00:45:08) Argentina's Mining Climate
(00:47:17) U.S. Battery Strategy
(00:49:18) Canada's Role
(00:50:51) Importance of Copper
(00:53:51) Hawke's Point Investment Approach
(00:55:24) NOA PEA Highlights
(00:57:52) Q2 Resource Growth
(00:59:06) Hawke's Commodity Picks
(01:03:34) Lithium Market Outlook
(01:05:38) M&A Environment
(01:10:39) Market Sentiment

The conversation then turns to Q2 Metals and its standout drill results at the Cisco Project, which we see as one of the strongest hard-rock intercepts in recent years. Matt explains why the geology, scale, metallurgy, and infrastructure advantages could differentiate Cisco from other Canadian projects. We also discuss lithium brine dynamics—especially in Argentina—highlighting growing interest from major producers and why standalone brine assets may be increasingly scarce and undervalued.

We also analyze Europe's shifting approach to critical minerals, including recent EU-backed financing for lithium projects and the continent's push to secure its own battery materials supply chain despite limited upstream resources. We close with a broader view across critical minerals: tightening physical silver markets, the strategic significance of heavy rare earths, and copper's central role in electrification, AI infrastructure, and energy transition technologies.

At the end of the video, viewers will also find a separate 121 panel discussion featuring NOA Lithium Brines, Q2 Metals, and Hawke's Point Capital, where the panel explores lithium brine development in Argentina, early-stage discovery value in Quebec, permitting pathways, jurisdictional dynamics, and investor perspectives on project economics and global critical minerals supply chains.