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Lithium Americas' Thacker Pass acid plant advances
Lithium Americas' Thacker Pass acid plant advances
London, 28 October (Argus) — Lithium Americas announced on 26 October that construction crews had recently completed the final major crane lift at the sulphuric acid plant (SAP) at its Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada. The lift involved installation of the 120ft Final Absorbing Tower (FAT), a key component in the sulphuric acid production process used to extract lithium from clay ore. With the plant's major equipment now in place, construction will now focus on steel erection, duct installation and piping. The sulphuric acid plant burner is designed to produce 750,000t of sulphuric acid, converting sulphur into acid for lithium processing while using waste-heat recovery technology to generate power for the site. At full operating rates, the plant is expected to consume roughly 250,000t/yr of sulphur. The project is expected to become one of North America's largest lithium sources, with mechanical completion on track for end-2027 start-up but Argus expects ramp up in 2028. By Fenella Rhodes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Q&A: Guardian Metal on tungsten goals, challenges
Q&A: Guardian Metal on tungsten goals, challenges
Houston, 28 October (Argus) — Tungsten remains a key pillar of Western governments' plans to expand critical mineral production, driven in part by its defense applications, even as prices decline from recent peaks. Oliver Friesen, chief executive of tungsten mine developer Guardian Metal Resources, spoke with Argus about the obstacles and goals facing Western producers and the market as a whole. Edited highlights follow. Tungsten is among the several commodities currently in the crosshairs of Western policymakers because of Chinese export controls and the related spike in pricing, but what makes tungsten uniquely important to address for Western end-users? Tungsten is important because upstream production is heavily concentrated in China, Russia and North Korea. The US has lacked tungsten mine production for over 10 years, and in general supply is concentrated to just a few countries. This challenge in addressing supply has put it so high in the crosshairs of policymakers aiming to build up Western supply. What are some under-appreciated but important tungsten consuming industries that you aim to target? We estimate that nuclear fusion is one of those markets and probably for good reason. Regardless of the timeline, nuclear fusion will ultimately require multiples more than is currently produced. There is already demand from the research and development side of the fusion market, and producers need to be prepared when that demand manifests to meet it. How much tungsten do you anticipate non-Chinese producers will need to add to cover the difference of what China used to export? I would estimate tens of thousands of metric tonnes (t) per year, potentially as much as 50,000t/yr if Chinese export restrictions remain in place. Guardian alone will be insufficient and it will require other Western developers and producers to fulfil the current gap. Which segment of the tungsten supply-chain do you aim to target, and why? Given our focus on the US market, we intend to supply concentrates and primary because that is the current bottleneck, but this is going to change over time. The US has sufficient and ample processing capacity between the facilities at Towanda, Pennsylvania; Huntsville, Alabama, and Fallon, Nevada, of sodium tungstate and concentrate to turn them into intermediates. As more mine supply comes on line that bottleneck will likely shift downstream to processing capacity, but at the moment the focus is on mine capacity. Do you believe pricing mechanisms like price floors we have seen in other critical mineral markets like rare earths will be necessary to sustain ex-China projects? Although price floors could support the industry, provide investor confidence and support some of the costlier underground mines, it would depend what that mechanism would even look like. Ultimately, I don't think they'll be necessary, we completed a pre-feasibility study with detailed cash costs; those were well below current prices. There needs to be some real-world economics. Certainly in China given how much material they've been mining for decades, their own cash costs are increasing – so Western projects are comparatively competitive. The US is operating at roughly maximum tungsten scrap-recycling capacity, and so the US tungsten scrap export controls imposed just a few months ago have left some overhang of scrap. How do you view export controls and scrap playing into the current market dynamics? US export controls on tungsten scrap demonstrate the metal's strategic importance but have not aided in increasing domestic sodium tungsten supply because US processing capacity is capped. Recycling tungsten will contribute to supply, but cannot replace new primary mining. The overall Western shortfall extends well beyond what scrap recycling can cover, but we need to be processing as much scrap as possible. Additionally, more primary units will be required to fill in where recycled tungsten is not usable, chiefly in defense. We are projecting increased demand from the defense sector, which will further highlight the need for primary supply. What do you view as your biggest hurdle in achieving production? Our biggest hurdle is on personnel, we have incredible support from the government in terms of finance and permits. The government in power understands the importance of domestic production, so it is really on personnel. At the moment, there's lots of competition with other critical minerals projects for the available experts. But otherwise we are well positioned and close enough to attract talent from Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada. By Zach Schumacher Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
European cobalt drops on demand concerns
European cobalt drops on demand concerns
London, 27 October (Argus) — European cobalt prices fell sharply on 22 October, with standard-grade metal in Rotterdam assessed at $17-18/lb, down from $21-22/lb on 20 October, as weakness in Chinese feedstocks, salts and battery materials continued to weigh on the market. The decline mirrors moves elsewhere in the cobalt supply chain. Argus -assessed cobalt hydroxide fell to $11.2-13.2/lb cif China on 22 October from $17.5-20/lb on 1 September, while Chinese cobalt metal dropped to Yn230-240/kg ($14.6-15.2/lb) from Yn301/kg on 3 September. Prices for cobalt sulphate — which accounts for the vast majority of end-use cobalt demand — have fallen to Yn43,000-45,000/t from Yn58,000-60,000/t in mid-October. Several traders and consumers said hydroxide offers have fallen faster than metal prices in recent weeks, with indications as low as $12-13/lb. Some said the decline reflected only a small number of trades and that liquidity remained too thin to establish a clear market level. Others pointed to weak demand across several downstream sectors and said the correction was overdue. Consumer electronics remains central to that weakness. Global lithium-cobalt-oxide (LCO) output is expected to fall by at least 30pc this year from 130,000t in 2025, while global smartphone shipments are forecast to decline by 16.7pc and tablet shipments by 8.6pc, according to US market research firm IDC. Participants said inventories accumulated in late 2025 and early 2026 were still being drawn down, limiting buying interest despite lower prices. Alternative feedstocks have also limited hydroxide demand. Imports of battery recycling feedstocks increased after China approved black mass imports last year. Consumers have increasingly turned to recycled material, mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) and cobalt metal as alternatives to hydroxide feedstock. Tighter supply struggles to impact price direction Prices have fallen despite renewed discussions about Indonesian supply cuts. Major producers including Tsingshan, Lygend, GEM and Huayou met in Shanghai on 20 October to discuss cutting MHP and nickel matte production by 50pc after a prolonged deterioration in margins. One producer estimated that output could fall to around 25,000 t/month of contained nickel from 45,000-50,000 t/month currently, implying a reduction of roughly 1,250-2,500 t/month of contained cobalt. The discussions reflect growing pressure on nickel margins. One producer said it had discussed curtailments as LME nickel approached $15,500/t. Prices fell as low as $15,275/t before recovering on reports of the Shanghai meeting. Indonesia's nickel miners' association APNI said just last month that prices closer to $18,000-18,500/t are needed to support the wider Indonesian nickel value chain. Several market participants nevertheless questioned how far any cuts would reduce cobalt availability. Chinese state-owned research group Antaike expects recycled cobalt supply to reach 50,000t of cobalt equivalent this year, up 26pc from 2025, while refined cobalt demand is projected to decline by 5.4pc to 217,000t. Market participants also reported substantial inventories. One estimated that 40,000-50,000t of cobalt units remain outside China in hydroxide form, while others pointed to full bonded warehouses holding MHP and cobalt-bearing raw materials around Guangzhou. Wuxi exchange stocks have fallen sharply, but participants estimated in July that a further 8,000-12,000t of cobalt metal remained elsewhere in China, equivalent to 4-5 months of domestic demand. Those inventories help explain why tighter controls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have provided less support than many expected. Export quotas and strategic allocations reduced feedstock availability earlier this year and contributed to a sharp rise in cobalt prices in the first half. But imports from the DRC subsequently recovered, Indonesian production continued to rise and recycled feedstocks became increasingly available. By Chris Welch and Thomas Kavanagh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EU lawmakers push for swift packaging deal
EU lawmakers push for swift packaging deal
Brussels, 26 October (Argus) — The European parliament and EU member states must quickly agree on easing extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations for small and online businesses under the bloc's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), German centre-right lawmakers said. The EU parliament and governments must now agree a final legal text before any changes to EPR obligations can enter into force. The parliament adopted a proposed amendment to the PPWR on 20 October that would suspend EPR obligations for "microenterprises or small enterprises" until 1 January 2035, or until the application of an EU law establishing a horizontal EPR framework. The European Commission has also proposed suspending EPR obligations for batteries and waste batteries. "Small firms can no longer sell their products in other EU member states because of disproportionate rules and high costs," said Peter Liese, environment policy spokesperson for the European People's Party (EPP), the parliament's largest political group. Liese said the parliament and EU member states have now both laid the groundwork for a solution. The PPWR requires companies making cross-border sales in other EU member states to appoint an authorised representative for EPR compliance. Liese said the requirement has made selling into other EU countries economically "hardly possible" for some businesses. EU member states agreed on 21 October to suspend the EPR requirement until 1 January 2032 for producers placing less than 1t of packaging on the market annually in a given member state. As in the commission's proposal, the suspension would apply to all EU producers, regardless of size, as well as battery producers. Oliver Schenk, an EPP member of the parliament's environment committee, said the council's 1t threshold may not go far enough, noting that Germany had proposed a threshold of 10t. "The differing positions of the council and parliament must not now lead to a new blockage," Schenk said. An EU official expects negotiations on the final legal text to begin later in November. Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.