Geothermal brines: The key to low-emission localized lithium supply chains?

Analyzing the tech developments and macroeconomic trends that will determine the near-term and long-term feasibility of upcoming geothermal DLE projects in Europe and North America

The progressive rise in vehicle electrification has driven a massive increase in demand for lithium products applicable in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. While capacity expansions of the base chemical have largely stayed ahead of demand, geographical concentration of the chemical’s upstream extraction and midstream processing sectors in Latin America and mainland China respectively combined with logistical freight issues caused by the pandemic have driven an exponential hike in spot prices (lithium carbonate trading at USD75,000 per ton in March 2022 compared with USD14,500 per ton over the past five years) this year, massively impacting battery manufacturing costs and consequently OEM margins.