The Global Lithium Podcast

Jon Evans is one of the most effective and knowledgeable executives in the lithium world. He is also a great leader. I have known Jon for well over a decade. First as my boss when I was running FMC Lithium’s Asia operations. When I left FMC and started Global Lithium, Jon was often a source of insightful advice. He remains a mentor to me despite being a Zodiac calendar younger than I am. Yes, you can still use a mentor in your 60s. Among the topics we cover: The status LAC’s projects in Argentina (Cauchari) and the US (Thacker Pass) The positive aspects of Covid project delays Why a US critical metals supply chain will develop despite many with a “not in my backyard” mindset The high level of partnership interest in Thacker Pass and why Jon doesn’t want or need an offtake agreement LAC’s strong balance sheet and the flexibility it brings Building effective teams and how LAC hires Risk mitigation Global supply and demand The developing “broader audience” for lithium ESG Dangerous assumptions Why the industry will need to produce products beyond carbonate and hydroxide for the battery industry Rapid fire

Carlos Vicens is the CFO of Neo Lithium. We discuss the 3Qs project in Catamarca Province, Argentina. Topics include: Operating in Argentina Unexpected “benefits” of Covid in moving the project forward ESG – more than just the “E” Their partnership with global battery leader CATL Straight talk on product “cuts” The top challenges bringing a lithium project into production Setting the record straight on 3Qs logistics Price expectations DLE Financing path forward Rapid

The is part 2 of my 100th episode with highlights from some of my favorite episodes and guests.  Jon Evans - Lithium Americas Li Liangbin and Wang Xiaoshen - Ganfeng Eduardo Bitran - CORFO Ken Brinsden - Pilbara Minerals Dr Yuan Gao - ex CEO of Pulead Dan Blondal and Dr Stephen Campbell - Nano One The Lowry family

Chris Berry, President of House Mountain Partners ( www.discoveryinvesting.com ), is one of the most highly regarded battery metals analysts in the space. He was also the first guest on the Global Lithium Podcast in November of 2017. It seemed natural to bring Chris back for episode 100 especially given the recent resurgence of interest in lithium and other battery metals as the global energy transition unfolds. Known as "The Voice of Reason" Chris has a unique ability to speak plainly about complex topics. His insights regarding the increasing role of geopolitics in the development of battery supply chains makes this episode worth a listen. Chris can be found on twitter @cberry1

Jed Dorsheimer is the Global Head of Sustainability Research at Canaccord Genuity, Co-founder and President of the Biophysical Economics Institute and host of the Hidden Joule Podcast. Jed is a leading commentator on: Sustainability/ESG, Allocation of Resources, Climate Change, and Systems Complexity. We discuss: Economic ROI (Energy Return on Energy Invested) Basics of Thermodynamics An example of something that “Tesla did Differently” What does “Sustainability” really mean? Does Nuclear Power get a bad rap? An example of a well-intentioned German Policy Failure The Current State of ESG and Life Cycle Analysis ESG Funds – Clean & Green?? Considering “Negative Externalities” Concentrated vs Diffused Energy Systems Jed’s minimum EROI Criteria for Sustainability ESG Scoring Rapid Fire

Carlos Galli is an independent lithium consultant in Argentina. Carlos has worked on many brine projects both as a principal and a consultant. He learned from one of the best lithium minds in Argentina, his father Dr Daniel Galli. Topics covered in this episode include: Covid’s ongoing impact in Argentina Building a “lithium bridge” from the Argentine Puna to Europe for the EU battery supply chain Some underappreciated benefits of brine assets The “water dimension” in lithium projects and why it is often ignored or mischaracterized Ponds vs Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) DLE’s potential to bring quality (if not cost) advantages Why the Argentina President should stop hyping supply targets Ranking the top five Argentina lithium projects Value addition vs chasing the value chain How many projects can coexist on Salar del Hombre Muerto? Beyond DLE Bolivia – Saudi Arabia without oil? Rapid Fire

Alex Cheesemen (@ACheesey on Twitter) is an ex Australian military officer and a significant player in the Western Australia lithium industry. Alex had the unique “opportunity” to be one of the last people standing at Altura Mining. In this episode Alex will share what he learned in the process of helping bring a significant hard rock asset into production and then, due to the vagaries of lithium asset financing challenges and unfavorable market conditions, he was tasked with taking it through the receivership process. Alex has a great perspective on the WA lithium industry past, present, and future. We discuss: The timeframe for bringing projects into production Pros and Cons of having a lean project team DMS vs flotation The financial struggles of junior mining companies Learning how to connect Altura’s product with the conversion market in China The receivership experience and how the WA mining community helped out Thoughts on when currently shut in spodumene capacity will come back online Mineral Resources and Albemarle aka “watching the elephants dance” How much spodumene production can we expect from Australia in 2025 and 2030 How soon price will recover and to what level China and Australia trade tensions Why I may never be let back into WA Plus “Rapid Fire”

Episode 94: Simon Hay Simon Hay is the CEO of Galaxy Resources. We review the status of production at Mt Cattlin and development plans for Sal de Vida and James Bay. We discuss spodumene prices and why Galaxy will continue to sell at spot price in 2021. Simon makes “no apology” for the new phased development strategy at Sal de Vida and discusses the conditions that need to be in place to move James Bay forward. We discuss the pros and cons of having partners. Project execution and teams. The challenge of managing a project in Argentina from Perth during Covid. Will Western Australia producers learn the lessons from the past 24 months when considering capacity restarts? I ask Simon the best aspect of his job. And, as always, Rapid Fire.

Seth Goldstein is one of the best lithium analysts – anywhere. He works for top rated investment research company Morningstar where in addition to his lithium work he also chairs their EV committee. Prior to joining Morningstar, Seth worked for Berkshire Hathaway Energy. As part of his role with Morningstar Seth follows Albemarle, SQM and Livent; however, he is also well versed on other companies in the space, as well as the EV and cathode markets. Topics include: Seth’s analytical process Analyzing the former “Big 3” When will EVs achieve cost parity with ICE vehicles? Barriers to EV adoption EV penetration in 2025 and 2030 Why building recharging infrastructure is more important than subsidies Carbonate vs hydroxide – the market split in 2030 Is the lithium industry as opaque as it seems? Seth’s thoughts on the cost curve and future pricing Albemarle’s changing price strategy Will Tesla continue to lead in EVs? Handicapping new lithium projects and expansions Will the “Big 4” continue to dominate supply in 2030 LAC – the next major? Rapid Fire From my perspective this is a “top 10” episode. Seth can be found on twitter @SethGMStar1 Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, retirement plan providers and sponsors, and institutional investors in the debt and private capital markets. Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities, and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with approximately $215 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2020. The Company has operations in 29 countries. For more information, visit www.morningstar.com/company. Follow Morningstar on Twitter @MorningstarInc. Neither I, nor Global Lithium LLC have received compensation in any form from Morningstar.

Episode 90: Sigma Lithium - Ana Cabral-Gardner & Calvyn Gardner Sigma is developing a brownfield hard rock project in Brazil with a focus on “green mining” and ESG considerations.   Topics include: The three main considerations in developing Sigma’s resource ESG Sigma’s competitive position vs Australian Hard Rock producers Partnerships and Sigma’s plan for downstream lithium chemical participation The “social license” challenges for mining projects based on recent events in Brazil Why “green premiums” are not built into project financial estimates Life Cycle Assessment audits Covid challenges Lithium “hippies” plus rapid fire.