Last Week (1.19-1.23) Overseas Lithium News [SMM New Energy Overseas Weekly News]

[EU Secures Lithium and Critical Mineral Supply Channels in South America]

Through a newly signed trade agreement with Mercosur, the European Union gained priority access to substantial reserves of critical minerals and agricultural products. This long-negotiated pact represents not only an economic arrangement but also a geopolitical strategy.

The agreement signed in Asunción on January 17 grants the 27 EU member states easier access to strategic resources from South America, such as lithium, niobium, and graphite, which are vital for batteries, renewable energy systems, and advanced manufacturing. Currently, the processing and production of these resources are predominantly dominated by China.

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told EFE: "Brazil has the world's second-largest reserves, but it needs investment, procurement agreements, and long-term contracts—this is exactly what we expect and need."

The agreement will gradually eliminate over 90% of bilateral tariffs, creating one of the world's largest free trade zones covering approximately 780 million consumers. However, European officials made it clear that, as Washington and Brussels vie for influence in resource-rich Latin America, decoupling critical mineral supply chains from China is a core strategic objective. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the agreement as both an economic opportunity and a values-based partnership. At the signing ceremony, she stated: "Together, we are creating the world's largest free trade area, a shared market of 700 million people." She added that for European enterprises, "this means better access to critical raw materials," emphasizing the strategic significance beyond commercial interests.

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[Sibanye-Stillwater's Phased Lithium Production Strategy for 2026]

Sibanye-Stillwater's decision to implement phased lithium production at its flagship Keliber project reflects a broader industry strategy to navigate the volatile lithium market. The global lithium market presents a complex landscape where traditional supply and demand mechanisms intertwine with geopolitical factors and technological transformation. Despite the continued growth in EV adoption, market oversupply persists, and mining enterprises face unprecedented challenges in timing their production decisions.

The intersection of market volatility, capital intensity, and strategic positioning provides strong justification for adopting a modular development approach in battery mineral extraction. Enterprises must balance securing market share with maintaining financial flexibility, while sustaining stakeholder confidence throughout the lengthy development cycle.

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[Peloton Minerals CEO Highlights Major Lithium Discovery in North Elko, Nevada]

In an interview with focusIR, Ted Ellwood explained why Peloton considers the North Elko area to have comparable geological characteristics to adjacent projects, including Surge Battery Metals' project, which hosts one of the world's highest-grade lithium clay deposits. Adjacency to known mineral deposits and shared regional geological context provides a strong basis for Peloton's confidence in advancing its exploration program.

The company employs a systematic and structured exploration approach, integrating detailed geological mapping with modern exploration technologies to better delineate subsurface resource potential. This work has helped define priority targets and supported the decision to focus on drilling as the next key development phase.

Funding has also been a critical focus. Over the past two years, Peloton has raised sufficient capital to advance exploration while maintaining flexibility for future growth. Ellwood noted that strategic partnerships will become increasingly important as projects progress, citing Rio Tinto, the world's largest producer of lithium metal, as an example of how such partners can bring long-term value through technical expertise and economies of scale.

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[Unlocking Massive Lithium Reserves: New Method Enables Faster, Cleaner Extraction of Critical Minerals from Low-Grade Brine]

As global factories ramp up production of electric vehicles and large batteries needed to stabilize power from wind turbines and solar panels, lithium demand is surging dramatically. However, current lithium extraction processes are slow and rely on high-grade raw materials that are scarce worldwide. Ironically, their environmental toll is also substantial: refining minerals for clean energy consumes vast amounts of land and pollutes water sources on which local communities depend.

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have proposed a revolutionary lithium extraction technique in a new paper that significantly shortens processing time, unlocks reserves previously unusable with existing methods, and reduces environmental impact. The technology uses a temperature-sensitive solvent to extract lithium directly from brines in global deposits, achieving a breakthrough by efficiently recovering lithium even at very low mineral concentrations and in the presence of similar impurities. Published today in the journal Joule, the paper details how the technique, called Switchable Solvent Selective Extraction (S3E), achieves high selectivity for lithium: up to 10 times greater selectivity for lithium over sodium, and 12 times over potassium. The process also removes magnesium, a common impurity in lithium brine, by triggering a chemical precipitation step to separate it out.

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