Mining Magazine November 2018 | Page 65

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Lithium : Rising demand , more than stable supply

There are plenty of projects out there that have more than enough potential to supply demand in the long term . It ’ s very clear there ’ s plenty of lithium for everyone to consume , but in the medium term there will be a big scramble to find this resource . Look at the announced plans from auto manufacturers including Mercedes , Volvo , GM , Ford . This shows the massive demand for lithium well in excess of where the lithium demand is today . Today there is a little over 200,000 tonnes of lithium into carbon equivalent a year , looking in the next seven to 10 years estimates suggest this will more than double . When paradigm shifts happen , they happen exponentially . People are already allocating capital to make it happen , it ’ s simply a question of supply and demand curves . Wealth Minerals President Tim McCutcheon
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