Supply Chain
Pages 99–107 (9 pages)
Text on page 102
A highly concentrated market pose supply chain risks in the event of unforeseen events (e.g. earthquake in Chile)
Untapped Li reserves exist in Latin America (primarily Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, which form the Lithium Triangle) and North America (Thacker Pass, Nevada; Salton Sea, California), sufficient to meet future demand in theory
However, not all reserves will achieve production status, especially to meet near term surge in demand. The world could face lithium shortages as early as 2025 without sufficient investments to expand production (IEA).
Lithium mines that started operations between 2010 and 2019 took an average of 16.5 years to develop (12 years for exploration & feasibility, 4-5 years for construction) (IEA)
Lithium extracted from recently developed, lower grade brines carry higher operating costs and CO2 emissions due to heavier chemical use (BatteryBits)
Industry: Supply Chain Source: Visual Capitalist, ISS Insights
Volta Foundation
Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.
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