
The Global Lithium Podcast
Joe Lowry (@globallithium on X aka Twitter & IG) and known as "Mr Lithium" is a 30 plus year industry veteran and founder of the advisory firm Global Lithium LLC. Joe hosts the original lithium podcast featuring high level guests from the lithium chemicals industry, battery, cathode, and related areas. The Global Lithium Podcast remains the 'go to' offering in this space and has been downloaded in 181 countries.
Latest episodes

Apr 3, 2022 • 58min
Episode 133: Simon Moores
Topics:
The Benchmark vision & business model
Limiting factors to the growth of the “lithium ion economy”
The “great battery raw material disconnect”
The LME nickel fiasco
Is President Biden invoking the Defense Production Act significant?
Tesla compared with legacy OEMs
The emerging US Battery Supply chain compared with the EU – rhetoric vs reality
Vertical Integration in the battery/EV space
Why the lithium shortage is understated – the battery scrap conundrum
Where is Benchmark in five years?
The impact of geopolitics on the lithium ion battery world
Rapid Fire

Mar 26, 2022 • 20min
Episode 132: "March Madness"
A solo episode covering the following topics:
Lithium prices - why SQM, Albemarle and Livent have very different prices per kg
The price of lithium stocks
The false narrative of Chinese lithium dominance
Is GM the "Don Quixote" of the EV world?
Energy Secretary Granholm playing politics in West Virginia
Lithium training for media types
Geothermal lithium - not ready for prime time?

Feb 27, 2022 • 56min
Episode 131: Seth Goldstein
Seth Goldstein is an analyst at Morningstar - an industry leader providing independent research and analysis on a global basis. In his role at Morningstar, Seth covers Tesla, Albemarle, SQM, Livent and Lithium Americas.
Topics:
The EV market from a regional perspective
An update on Tesla’s new plants in Texas and Germany
Lithium supply and demand - how long will the shortage last?
Was Albemarle’s new lithium demand estimate for 2030 a meaningless theoretical exercise?
Why lithium is different than other resource markets
The Mineral Resources / Albemarle lithium JV - who has the upper hand in WA?
Livent: Too little, too late with a flawed strategy? Or a strong niche player?
Cathode – which “flavor” wins?
SQM – will they outperform Albemarle on price again in this market cycle?
Will SQM finally meet one of their volume predictions?
The “Spot” vs contract pricing gap – how much? For how long?
How will OEMs adjust their strategy to lithium limitations in this decade?
Seth’s thoughts on Lithium Americas – Cauchari and Thacker Pass
Product qualification in a market shortage
Rapid Fire

Feb 20, 2022 • 52min
Episode 130: Chris Reed
Chris Reed is the CEO of Neometals
Topics include:
First lithium success – the development of Mt Marion and a profitable exit
Battery recycling plans – Europe, North America, Asia
Feedstock – scrap & end of life batteries, timing
EVs “dirty little secret” – minimizing the current five years it takes the average EV to recoup the carbon footprint deficit with ICEs
The contribution recycling can make to lithium supply by 2030 and 2040
“Peak Spodumene”: What total LCE volume? When?
Electrolytic Lithium aka “Eli”– the process and potential
Changing the cost curve
Neometals upcoming London Listing
Supply and demand imbalance
Doomsday scenarios
Rapid fire

Feb 12, 2022 • 1h 3min
Episode 129: "Live from El Dorado" with Standard Lithium & Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
A double episode for Super Bowl weekend.
Part One is with Standard Lithium's Dr Andy Robinson and Will Smith. Andy is COO. Will is Engineering Manager. We discuss the Standard Lithium project with partner Lanxess in El Dorado, Arkansas. Part Two features Andrew Miller the COO of Benchmark Mineral intelligence. We discuss lithium price, supply and demand and several other topics.

Feb 4, 2022 • 44min
Episode 128: Simon Hay
Simon Hay is the CEO of Leo Lithium and the former CEO of Galaxy Resources. Leo Lithium has a 50/50 JV with Ganfeng Lithium to develop the Goulamina Project in Mali.
Topics include:
Africa's history in lithium
Project details: resource/reserves, grade, flowsheet, utilities, etc
Timing of stage 1 and stage 2
The Team
Challenges
Benefits of having Ganfeng as a partner
Offtake
Price formula
The lithium market - what is "different this time"

Dec 28, 2021 • 48min
Episode 127: Sigma Lithium
My guests are Co-CEOs Ana Cabral-Gardner and Calvyn Gardner
A lively discussion that was originally 72 minutes edited down to 47 minutes.
Topics:
Construction update and challenges
Ramping up
Covid and other obstacles
Sustainability
BlackRock’s Investment
ESG Investing
Social License
Battery Quality spodumene – reality or myth?
Partners that matter
Lifting up the local community
Lithium: “The Limiting Factor” to EV Growth?
How long is the “short term”?
Twitter @SigmaLithium

Dec 18, 2021 • 56min
Episode 126: Henrique Ribeiro
My guest is Henrique Ribeiro of S&P Global Platts, a leader in providing price information, industry market insights and analytics. In addition to his work in lithium/battery metals price information and analysis, Henrique is also a host on the Platts Future Energy Podcast.
In this episode, we discuss Platts role in providing information about lithium and other battery metals. We cover their methodology for making price assessments and how they factor in lithium product specifications.
We discuss the significance of the “spot” price and why it can vary so significantly from contract price and information found in import/export statistics.
I ask about quality control in the Platts process and how they deal with contacts that may try to “massage” the information they provide.
I ask Henrique for his thoughts on the lithium supply and demand imbalance and when price may “soften”.
We discuss the questions Henrique is most often asked by various industry stakeholders.
Platts does not forecast lithium prices. We will discuss the logic behind that practice.
In a world of many different prices for the same lithium grade, you will learn the value of the spot price as an indicator.
We close with a slow rapid fire.
Find out more at: spglobal.com

Dec 10, 2021 • 54min
Episode 125: Daniel Jimenez
My guest is Daniel Jimenez ex SQM and currently running his own advisory firm, iLi Markets (ilimarkets.com). Recorded less than two weeks before the Chilean Presidential election runoff - described as the most divisive in the country's history. We discuss potential impacts of the election on the lithium industry depending on whether the winner is from the right or the left.
At minute 14, we begin a discussion of the Atacama & the current & future production of both SQM & Albemarle from the world's premier brine asset. We we also review the reasons for SQM lagging the pricing results of most competitors. Spoiler alert – we both expect that situation to change.
We also ponder Albemarle’s long & winding road in ramping up production from expansions in Chile.
We move on to a discussion of global supply & demand. Daniel’s 2021 & 2022 total demand numbers are higher than mine but not drastically so.
Daniel provides his thoughts on the potential for new lithium projects in Chile as well as DLE before moving on to the potential & challenges for the EU & North America to supply a significant percentage of their future lithium demand.
We cover the recent rise of Chinese investment in South American lithium projects.
Will recycling contribute significantly to lithium supply before 2030?
Solid state batteries & the potential impact on what lithium raw material requirements.
Rapid fire.
Daniel can be found on Twitter @D_Jimenez_Sch

Nov 24, 2021 • 50min
Episode 124: Dr Yuan Gao
Dr. Yuan Gao has been a significant player in the lithium ion battery space for a quarter of a century. From his early days at FMC Lithium working in battery R&D to his time with Molycorp in rare earth materials followed by a five-year tenure as CEO of Chinese cathode producer Pulead and most recently as a member of Lithium Americas Board of Directors and as a sought after advisor. Few have the breadth of experience Yuan has.
Dr. Gao holds twenty-one patents.
In this episode we discuss the cathode market in detail from LFP to High Nickel products. We also review the challenges in producing LMFP and “Cobalt Free” High Nickel.
We discuss the regionalization of battery supply chains and why it will be difficult for North America and Europe to play “catch up” with Asia.
We move on to the future of solid state batteries and the challenges faced by the recycling industry. We ponder when recycling industry will transition from processing the scrap of new gigafactories to being part of a truly circular lithium ion battery ecosystem.
As always, we close with rapid fire.