China backing autocratic regimes to secure resources — report

"To build a gigafactory of vanadium flow batteries, companies will need to own a mine or lease the fully recyclable vanadium" – Simon Moores.

Company wants to make sure the mine is in production when the demand and price of graphite takes off, as predicted.

The ENAPAC project is meant to serve mainly the mining industry, which is very active in Chile’s dry, but copper and lithium-rich north.

Malaysian media reported the newly-elected coalition government will shortly begin a three month evaluation of the company's rare earths processing operations in the province of Kuantan.

Deal will see China’s No.1 producer of lithium supplying 20 percent of its production to the electric cars maker.

Until now, the Australian miner had been advancing exploration projects in Latin America focused mainly on gold, but with significant exposure to copper, molybdenum and zinc.

The Maricunga project in northern Chile has seen significant past exploration, with over $30 million spent to date.

The proposed tax, to be applied on the nominal value of extracted metals, would affect copper miners that produce more than 12,000 tonnes of the metal and those extracting 50,000 tonnes of lithium a year.

Partners may lose their right to develop the Mt Holland lithium project after a recommendation by a unit of the West Australian government that regulates mining leases.