Lithium
Brazil's Largest Lithium Mine Was Halted by a Radius, Not a Regulator
A federal judge suspended every environmental licence at Grota do Cirilo over a 2.721 km distance to the Baú quilombola territory. The 8 km rule that did it was confirmed on appeal in May. Sigma says it has not been served.
Beijing's Battery Tax Reads Like an EV Story. It Is a Storage Story.
On September 1 China ends an 11-year tax break on lithium-ion cells. The headlines are about electric cars. The durable demand underneath is AI data center storage.
Pentagon Puts $300 Million Under Battery Lithium. Sigma Beats in Brazil. Beijing Still Refines.
The DLA's Project Vault tender for 16,170 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate lands the same week Sigma Lithium beats Q2 guidance out of Brazil. The paradox: neither country can refine it at scale.
CATL restarts Jianxiawo. The Chinese lithium floor comes back just as hyperscaler BESS scales.
The Jiangxi lepidolite mine restarted June 29 with a 100,000-tonne carbonate nameplate. Jefferies says hyperscalers add 20 GW of battery storage by 2035, and calls Chinese LFP the most compelling option. Sigma and SQM are the ones absorbing the pressure.
Chile to file Salar Futuro this fortnight as Tianqi trims its SQM stake
NovaAndino is set to lodge the environmental study for a $3 billion direct-extraction lithium project targeting 280,000 to 300,000 tonnes LCE a year from 2031. Brazil's entire current output is one-fifth that. Tianqi is selling down.
Lithium's record Q1 is not showing up in the equity tape
SQM lifted lithium guidance after Q1 net income rose 165 percent. Sigma Lithium posted record margins two weeks earlier. The Southern Diversification basket is still down 3.9 percent YTD.