Overseas lithium news this week (7.21-7.25) [SMM Weekly Overseas New Energy News]

[Germany Grants Vulcan Energy €104 Million for Clean Lithium Production]

Startup Vulcan announced on Tuesday that it has received a €104 million ($122 million) grant from the German government to produce clean lithium. Berlin aims to boost EV production and reduce reliance on raw material imports through this initiative.

Vulcan stated that the funding, jointly provided by the federal government and the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, will support a project "designed to strengthen the resilience of critical raw material supply chains in Germany and Europe."

The German Mineral Resources Agency estimates that by 2030, the country's annual lithium demand could reach 170,000 mt. Its automotive industry currently depends on imports from Australia, Argentina, Chile, and China to meet battery production needs.

Related studies indicate Germany possesses sufficient lithium reserves to meet domestic demand for decades.

Vulcan revealed last year that its first large-scale industrial plant, expected to produce 24,000 mt of lithium hydroxide annually—enough for 500,000 EVs—will commence operations by the end of 2026.

Vulcan is investing €690 million in the project. The company will construct a facility in Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate, to extract lithium chloride, and another plant near Frankfurt to convert it into lithium hydroxide—a key raw material for lithium battery production.

The company noted that funds will be disbursed over 36 months starting October 1. The Ministry of Economy stated that approximately 30% of state-level support will be co-funded by Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse respectively.

State Secretary Stefan Wenzel of the Ministry of Economy said in a statement: "In an era of growing geopolitical challenges, it is necessary to intensify efforts...to open up alternative raw material sources for China's economy."

Source: ming.com

[Argentina Approves RIGI Incentives for Galan Lithium While Rejecting Ganfeng's Application]

Argentina's Minister of Economy Luis Caputo announced on Wednesday that the government has approved Australian miner Galan Lithium's $217 million lithium project in Catamarca province under the newly launched Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI), while rejecting Chinese firm Ganfeng Lithium's RIGI application for its Mariana project.

The RIGI (Large Investment Incentive Regime), enacted last year under President Javier Milei to stimulate the long-stagnant economy, offers approved projects tax benefits and international dispute arbitration channels.

The global mining sector is closely watching whether this mechanism can revive the long-stalled copper industry and provide lifelines for lithium projects amid depressed battery-grade lithium chemical prices.

Galan Lithium's lithium project in the Hombre Muerto salt lake became the sixth project approved under RIGI, bringing the total planned investment under RIGI to $12.8 billion. Currently, the only other mining project approved is Rio Tinto's Rincon lithium project.

Argentina is the world's fourth-largest lithium producer, with its products serving as key raw materials for EVs and ESS batteries.

Neither Galan nor Ganfeng immediately commented. Caputo noted that Ganfeng's Mariana project did not meet the entry requirements because construction had already begun before the RIGI application was submitted, "failing to meet the minimum investment threshold for the next two years among other entry criteria."

Source: ming.com

[Century Lithium Announces Battery-Grade Lithium Metal Anode Produced from Angel Island Lithium Carbonate]

Century Lithium Corp announced that its partner, Alpha-En Corporation based in Hopewell Junction, New York, has successfully converted lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) provided by Century into battery-grade lithium metal anode (Li-MA). The raw material was sourced from Century's wholly owned Angel Island project in Esmeralda County, Nevada, and its supporting pilot plant in Nye County.

Bill Willoughby, President and CEO of Century, stated: "We are proud to serve as a domestic US lithium source for Alpha-En's lithium metal anode project. This collaboration demonstrates the high quality of Angel Island's product and our technical capabilities, and we will continue to support innovation in the US battery materials supply chain."

Century provided Alpha-En with a 99.8% pure Angel Island lithium carbonate sample. Using its patented room-temperature conversion process, Alpha-En transformed the sample into lithium metal, with the resulting Li-MA exhibiting excellent areal capacity and stripping efficiency. Small-scale tests showed that Century's material outperformed commercially imported battery-grade lithium carbonate.

Landon Oakes, CTO of Alpha-En, said: "The lithium metal produced from Century's lithium carbonate exhibits exceptional purity and consistency, directly translating into high-quality lithium metal anodes. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to advance the Angel Island project."

Currently, Century is advancing the Angel Island project through ongoing permitting, engineering optimization, and pilot plant technology development. The company remains bullish on the lithium battery market, believing it will play a key role in the growth of EVs and stationary ESS, and will continue to support Alpha-En in building a domestic US lithium supply chain.

Source: Junior of ming

[Vision Lithium Discovers New LCT Pegmatite Mineralization at Sirmac Property]

Vision Lithium Inc. announced the discovery of multiple high-grade LCT pegmatite veins at its Sirmac property, located near Chibougamau, Quebec, approximately 40 km west of the Sayona Moblan lithium deposit. These nearly vertical, north-dipping dykes extend along a distinct northeast-east trend and have been named the "Assinica LCT mineralization zone," with a strike length exceeding 5 km. To date, the company has delineated three significantly mineralized pegmatite dykes within this zone, all containing considerable lithium, cesium, and tantalum values.

The SC vein of Winsome Resources also aligns with the strike of this zone, and all exposed pegmatites within it exhibit mineralization characteristics. However, as it lies outside the mining area, it may not necessarily represent internal mineralization within the mining area. Geologically and structurally, both belong to the northeast-east trending LCT pegmatite zone.

Within the Vision mining rights area, the SC vein is the southern extension of the Winsome SC vein, with a known mineralized width that is significant; the vein can be traced at least 40 m south of the boundary before being covered, and it is expected to continue further south. The company collected six continuous channel samples, with lengths ranging from 0.5 to 8.3 m, which were not fully sampled due to limitations imposed by the overburden.

The second LCT pegmatite vein is located 1.2 km west of the SC vein and was discovered by the Innovexplo geological team commissioned by Vision. It represents the northern extension of two narrow veins discovered last year. The new outcrop is well exposed approximately 100 m north of the original discovery point and continues northward for several hundred meters; most of it is covered by overburden and not fully sampled, but it is expected to be much larger in scale than what is currently visible.

Source: Junior of ming