Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction

Jiangte Motor announced on October 11 that the company recently received the Review Opinion on the Safety Facility Design for the 3 Million Tonnes Per Year Mining Project of the Xikeng Lithium Mine in Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province, issued by the National Mine Safety Administration, which approved the Safety Facility Design in principle. The Xikeng Lithium Mine is China's first mica-type lithium mining rights certificate processed by the Ministry of Natural Resources, an important achievement of the country's new round of strategic prospecting breakthroughs, and a key lithium resource for the company. The approval of the Safety Facility Design marks a crucial step in advancing the Xikeng Lithium Mine from obtaining mining rights to commencing construction in accordance with the law.

AMG Critical Materials N.V. announced that the European Commission has designated two of AMG Lithium's activities as Critical Raw Materials Act Strategic Projects 2026. The two designations cover AMG's lithium refinery in Bitterfeld, named a European Lithium Refining and Recycling Hub, and Zinnwald Lithium, recognized for Integrated Extraction and Processing. CEO Dr. Heinz Schimmelbusch said the decision affirms AMG's strategy of building an independent lithium supply chain for Europe and reducing dependence on foreign supply chains. The Commission's recognition means the projects will directly contribute to benchmarks set in the Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims by 2030 to increase the EU's competitiveness and resilience while decreasing dependency on any single supplier. AMG, listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Deutsche Börse, employs approximately 3,500 people and operates production facilities in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, China, Mexico, Brazil, and India.

Elevra Lithium rose 5.5% in Thursday's trading after signing a binding contract to supply spodumene concentrate to South Korea's LG Energy Solution from its North American Lithium project in Quebec. Under the deal, Elevra will deliver 240K dry metric tons of spodumene concentrate over three years, with shipments expected to begin in 2026. In addition to that contracted base quantity, the company said it may supply up to 90K dmt of optional volume over the same three-year term, subject to agreement between both parties. The deal comes as LG Energy looks to bolster its North American supply chain and meet growing demand for energy storage systems in the region. CEO Lucas Dow said securing a leading global battery manufacturer as a customer further strengthens the commercial position of NAL and supports the company's strategy of building a diversified portfolio of high-quality customers as it increases production.

Brunswick Exploration Inc. has reported assays from a 202-metre interval at its Anatacau Main Project in Quebec's Eeyou Istchee James Bay region, returning 1.31% Li2O from 274.25 to 476.70 metres in drill hole AN-26-15. Within that intercept, an 85-metre high-grade core graded 1.73% Li2O, which the company called a substantial jump in grade observed to date at the Anais dyke. The same hole returned two other major pegmatitic intervals separate from the Anais dyke, 1.41% Li2O over 21.5 metres and 1.28% Li2O over 9.2 metres, pointing to a wider mineralized system at Anatacau. The Anais dyke remains open in all directions and has significantly expanded following this hole, which confirmed mineralization to a vertical depth of 300 metres. Four holes totaling approximately 1,700 metres have been drilled in the Anais sector, with all assay results pending except for AN-26-15, and drilling is ongoing.

A Federal Court of Appeals upheld Sigma Lithium Corporation's environmental licenses, allowing the company to resume mining-industrial operations. The decision overturned a September 8 emergency ruling by a local federal judge in Teofilo Otoni that had suspended those licenses, with Senior Federal Judge Mônica Sifuentes granting Sigma Lithium an emergency motion for suspensive relief on the grounds that a prolonged stoppage would cause significant negative economic impact in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region. Sigma Lithium reaffirmed guidance to scale annualized production of lithium oxide concentrate to 330,000 tonnes by year-end 2027, saying it needs no additional capacity beyond its existing Mine 1 capacity in the South Pit operations and its Cleantech Industrial Plant. The court noted the company supports approximately 19,000 direct and indirect jobs and around 80,000 family members across 12 municipalities. The original suspension stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Ngolo, an association acting for local Quilombola communities, though the government official registry showed no Quilombola heritage descendant houses within a 12 km radius of the Grota do Cirilo Project when its current licenses were issued and operations began in 2023.

Liontown Resources has approved the Final Investment Decision for its Kathleen Valley Expansion Project, moving the operation's next phase from planning into execution. The approval signals a potential scale-up of Kathleen Valley's role within Liontown's portfolio and shifts near-term focus to execution and capital discipline. The company's narrative projects A$1.5 billion in revenue and A$422.9 million in earnings by 2029, yielding a A$1.39 fair value and a 73% upside to its current price. A more cautious case assumes A$1.2 billion in revenue and A$176.2 million in earnings by 2029. The recent Centenario farm-in agreement with NEXT Lithium adds a separate growth option outside Kathleen Valley, though it carries its own project and capital risks.

Empower has appointed former ExxonMobil veteran Andrew Sinclair as its chief public and government affairs officer, the Dallas-based lithium producer announced. Sinclair will be based at Empower's new Washington, D.C., office and will also lead a presence in Austin, overseeing government relations, media and communications as the company aligns with U.S. strategic interest in critical minerals. He brings more than two decades of public affairs experience, including nine years at ExxonMobil, where he oversaw state government relations in the Northeast and helped build the public and government affairs team in Guyana. Empower is scaling commercial production of American-made lithium carbonate and plans to launch its first commercial sales in 2027, with CEO Patrick Dowling calling Sinclair the cornerstone of a leadership team assembled to lead American lithium production. The company noted that the United States controls only 1% of global lithium processing capacity.

Galliford Try Holdings PLC has landed a spot on the latest £3 billion Constructing West Midlands Framework, selected for the major works lot covering projects over £10 million. Connecting Excellence Group Plc has completed its first acquisition, buying James Gray Recruitment, and has grown its Bitcoin holding to over 81 coins, worth around £5.25 million. Bradda Head Lithium Ltd has intersected visible spodumene mineralisation in all three of its first Whistlejacket holes in Arizona, with lab assays now the next key test. Tower Resources PLC has secured a one-year extension to its exploration licence at Thali in Cameroon and is now working towards a drilling campaign targeted for Q2 2027. Premier African Minerals Ltd has raised around £1.2 million to restart operations at its Zulu Lithium project in Zimbabwe, with the plan now focused on processing ore already sitting on the stockpile.

PMET Resources Inc. has signed a Letter of Intent with the City of Matagami for transshipment services supporting its Shaakichiuwaanaan Project in Quebec. Under the planned arrangement, spodumene concentrate would be trucked from Shaakichiuwaanaan to Matagami's existing transshipment yard, where it would be transferred to rail for onward transportation to port, advancing a key component of the project's planned concentrate logistics chain. The LOI establishes a framework for the infrastructure upgrades and long-term transshipment services required to support the planned route to market, though infrastructure contributions, service pricing, and detailed operating arrangements remain subject to further negotiation. PMET said it is targeting a definitive commercial agreement with Matagami prior to a Final Investment Decision for Shaakichiuwaanaan. Chief Operating Officer Frédéric Mercier-Langevin said transshipment at Matagami is expected to provide a key link in the planned logistics chain connecting concentrate trucked from the Project to onward rail transportation.

Surge Battery Metals Inc. announced a positive Pre-Feasibility Study for the Nevada North Lithium Project in Elko County, Nevada, reporting an after-tax net present value at an 8% discount rate of US$9.81 billion and an after-tax internal rate of return of 23.6%, with a 4.2-year after-tax payback over a 42-year mine life. The project, held by Nevada North Lithium LLC and owned 67.5% by Surge and 32.5% by Evolution Mining Limited, is planned as a two-phase open-pit mine and on-site processing facility producing battery-grade lithium carbonate, with Phase 1 designed for approximately 55,900 tonnes per year and Phase 2 doubling capacity to a peak of approximately 111,400 tonnes per year, averaging approximately 92,250 tonnes per year over the life of mine. Phase 1 initial capital is estimated at US$2.77 billion, including US$442 million of contingency, while the Phase 2 expansion capital is estimated at US$2.35 billion, roughly 15% below Phase 1 for an expansion that doubles processing capacity. Life-of-mine average cash operating cost is US$4,719 per tonne of lithium carbonate, about 10% below the US$5,243 per tonne estimated in the 2025 Preliminary Economic Assessment, and overall lithium recovery improved to 84.9% from 82.8%. The PFS, prepared by Fluor Corporation as lead engineer, is based on a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 218.3 million tonnes at 3,928 ppm Li containing 4.56 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, with no Inferred Mineral Resources in the mine plan, and the company said it intends to advance directly into FEL 3 engineering and a Feasibility Study, with first production targeted for the second half of 2031.

Chuanfa Lomon announced on September 29 that its holding grandson company, Jinchuan Guotuo Mining Co., Ltd., recently completed the renewal of detailed exploration rights for the Simancuogou spodumene mine (preferred project) in Jinchuan County, Sichuan Province, and received the Mineral Resources Exploration License issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, valid from August 18, 2026 to March 29, 2031.