Battery recycling could cut raw material use by 12pc
Demand for battery materials is set to increase sharply and outpace supply in the next 20 years, with electric vehicles (EVs) and battery storage leading the change. But recycling and reusing batteries could cut demand for raw materials such as lithium and nickel by up to 12pc by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
In a sustainable development scenario — which limits global temperature rising to 1.8°C rather than the 2°C stipulated in the Paris Agreement — overall demand for raw battery materials is set to be 30 times higher than 2020 levels by 2040, with demand for lithium rising by 40 times.
But consistent supply of these raw materials remains a stumbling block for major expansion, particularly given a shortage of new projects in the pipeline, the IEA said. Additionally, the rising of costs of raw materials in batteries could remain a problem, with raw materials now accounting for 50-70pc of battery costs, up from 40-50pc five years ago, it estimates.
Recycling could therefore play a crucial role in bridging the gap in metal supply. Under its 2040 sustainable development scenario, secondary production from recycled minerals would account for "up to 12pc of total supply requirements for cobalt, around 7pc for nickel, and 5pc for lithium and copper", the IEA said.
The IEA added that recycling end of life Li-ion batteries could "relieve a proportion of the burden from mining them from virgin ores". The agency did warn that this would not eliminate the need for investment in primary supplies but "contributions from recycled minerals could be even more prominent in the total supply if effective recycling policies are adopted more widely across the globe, with larger benefits particularly for the regions with higher EV deployment".
Stockpiling and policy initiatives
More stringent policy measures to encourage recycling and secondary supplies of battery metals could also be needed.
Barriers currently impeding the development of secondary supply chains include competition from primary supply, information deficits and limited waste collection. But policies such as "minimum recycled content requirements, tradeable recycling credits and virgin material taxes all have potential to incentivise recycling and drive growth of secondary supplies", as would government subsidies, the IEA said. But the agency warned that international co-ordination would be "critical because of the global nature of metal markets".
"If policies designed to stimulate demand for secondary supply are enacted unilaterally, they may have unintended consequences that lead only to a geographical change in use rather than a change in market supply. In addition, collaboration between countries or regions may be needed to sufficiently understand market stock, costs and dynamics."
The IEA also suggested that strategic stockpiling could "weather short-term supply disruptions," but that minerals with low pricing transparency and liquidity could make this task more difficult. The agency used the example of Japan's strategic stockpile of critical materials through its state-controlled energy agency Jogmec.
Related news posts
Japan’s Nippon Steel halts output at Kimitsu plant
Japan’s Nippon Steel halts output at Kimitsu plant
Tokyo, 15 April (Argus) — Japan's largest steel mill Nippon Steel has partially suspended production today at its Kimitsu plant in eastern Chiba prefecture because of operational issues. Nippon Steel suspended production at some of its blast furnaces in the plant on the back of operational issues, said the company, without disclosing further details. The suspension is temporary, a company representative told Argus , although it remains unclear when the plant will resume production. Operational issues can come in a variety of forms, the representative added, including the quality of the raw materials. The firm has not disclosed output volumes at the Kimitsu plant. Nippon Steel's overall crude steel output for the April 2023-March 2024 fiscal year is estimated at 35mn t , according to the firm, up by 2.2pc from a year earlier. By Yusuke Maekawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
G7 leaders to meet over Iran's attack on Israel
G7 leaders to meet over Iran's attack on Israel
Dubai, 14 April (Argus) — Leaders of the G7 will meet today, 14 April, to co-ordinate a diplomatic response to Iran's overnight air attack on Israel, which ushered a new phase in a six-month conflict that is threatening regional escalation. G7 presidency Italy "has organized a conference at leaders' level for the afternoon of today," Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on X, formerly Twitter. US President Joe Biden has pledged a co-ordinated G7 diplomatic response and condemned the Iranian assault. Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles against Israel on the evening of 13 April, according to the country's state-owned news agency Irna. Almost all were intercepted before they reached Israeli airspace and there were no fatalities reported by Israel. One civilian was injured and an air force base in southern Israel was lightly damaged, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The Iranian attack came in response to a suspected Israeli air strike on the vicinity of Iran's embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, on 1 April. Tehran's foreign minster Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Iran considers this to be the end of its operation. But energy markets, which have been supported in recent weeks by a geopolitical risk premium, will face a week of uncertainty about whether Israel will retaliate. The front-month June Ice Brent contract was trading at $90.45/bl before markets closed for the weekend, and hit a more-than five month high of $92.18/bl on Friday, 12 April. Israeli officials said the attack was "a severe and dangerous escalation" from Tehran. Israel's war cabinet is meeting today to discuss a response. "We will build a regional coalition and exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us," said cabinet minister Benny Gantz. The US is urging Israel to claim victory for its defence, in an apparent effort to discourage Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government from feeling compelled to retaliate. While noting that Israel ultimately will make the decision as to how to respond, White House national security communications co-ordinator John Kirby, in a televised interview today, hailed what he called Israel's "incredible military achievement" in defending itself against the attack. Very little managed to penetrate the defensive shield, "and the damage was extraordinarily light," he said. The US military played a role in helping to defend against the attack, bringing down "several dozens of drones and missiles," Kirby said. UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said the Royal Air Force shot down "a number of Iranian attack drones". Israel's western allies are urging it to show restraint as they try to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East, which could directly affect oil producers and send energy prices soaring. President Biden is especially keen to avoid such a scenario in an election year. By Bachar Halabi and David Ivanovich Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Gunvor set for buying spree after windfall: CEO
Gunvor set for buying spree after windfall: CEO
London, 12 April (Argus) — Trading firm Gunvor plans to use part of a massive earnings windfall over the past two years to build out its asset base, its chief executive Torbjörn Törnqvist told Argus . "Today, we are under-invested in assets so we will change that," Törnqvist said, adding that investments would be broad based and to some extent opportunistic. "We will employ quite a lot of capital in investments." Independent commodity trading companies are sitting on unprecedented piles of cash after two years of bumper earnings arising from supply chain disruptions and market volatility. While Geneva-based Gunvor is smaller than its peers Vitol, Trafigura and Mercuria, it is still a huge company by most metrics. It reported revenues of $127bn in 2023 and a profit of $1.25bn, following a record $2.36bn in 2022. It has kept most of its earnings in house and had an equity position of almost $6.16bn by the end of 2023 — its highest ever. Törnqvist is eyeing further growth. "We will definitely be a much bigger company, that I can say," he replied when asked where he saw Gunvor in 10 years' time. "I think we will grow in tune with the [energy] transition." Trading firms are looking for ways to keep their competitive advantage, particularly given the uncertainties associated with the energy transition. One emerging trend is an appetite for infrastructure. Vitol is in the process of buying a controlling stake in Italian refiner Saras, which operates the 300,000 b/d Sarroch refinery in Sardinia. Trafigura said this week that it is in talks to buy ExxonMobil's 133,000 b/d Fos refinery on the French Mediterranean coast. Part of the rationale behind these moves is to increase optionality and take advantage of the loss of Russian products to the European market, as well the closure of large chunks of local refining capacity. Gunvor owns the landlocked 100,000 b/d Ingolstadt refinery in Germany and a 75,000 b/d refinery in Rotterdam, where it plans to shift away from fossil fuel use. "Many oil refineries have been up for sale and still are," Törnqvist said. Asked if Gunvor was looking for something similar, he said the company is interested in the "right opportunity" whether in upstream, downstream, midstream or shipping. "It all feeds into what we are doing and all supports our underlying trading," he said. But Törnqvist suspects a lot of Gunvor's growth will come from gas and power — areas where trading companies are already seeing rising profits. The company made its first investment in a power generation asset late in 2023, when it agreed to buy BP's 75pc stake in the 785MW Bahia de Bizkaia combined-cycle gas turbine plant in Bilbao, Spain. It has signed a slew of LNG offtake agreements in the past year and continues to grow its LNG tanker fleet . "We're building logistical capabilities in LNG," Törnqvist said. "Oil is here to stay" Törnqvist said Gunvor is well placed to navigate the energy transition, and is stepping up investments in renewables and biofuels and expanding into carbon and metals trading. "There will be disruptions, there will be different paths to the transition in different parts of the world which go at different paces and have different priorities and ways to deal with it," he said. "This will create opportunities." But Törnqvist is clear that oil and gas will remain an integral part of Gunvor's business. "We feel that oil is here to stay," he said. "And it will grow for several years." By Aydin Calik Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan’s Daihatsu to reopen Kyushu, Osaka car plants
Japan’s Daihatsu to reopen Kyushu, Osaka car plants
Tokyo, 12 April (Argus) — Japanese car manufacturer Daihatsu will resume operations at its Kyushu and Osaka plants from 6 and 7 May respectively, which will mark a full reopening of its domestic facilities. Production volumes at these plants were undisclosed. Daihatsu suspended all of its operations in December 2023 after it was accused of tampering with safety test results. It resumed partially in February but most of its production facilities, including its major plant in Osaka, remained closed. Daihatsu produced nothing in January and 6,692 units in February, less than one-tenth of its production a year earlier. This led to year-on-year declines in Japan's total car output in January and February . By Yusuke Maekawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more