Before lithium ends up in an EV battery, it has to be "dug" out of the ground first — and the world does this in two almost opposite ways. One is blasting rock mountains in Australia and roasting them at a thousand degrees. The other is pumping brine from beneath the South American desert and drying it in the sun for a year. The difference in "cost" and "speed" between these two paths is the key to why lithium prices spiked 10x and then crashed 80% in just a few years. Who survives, who goes bust, and why Africa and China have become the new variables everyone has to watch.
Empower Names ExxonMobil Veteran Andrew Sinclair as Public and Government Affairs Chief
Empower has appointed former ExxonMobil veteran Andrew Sinclair as its chief public and government affairs officer, the Dallas-based lithium producer announced. Sinclair will be based at Empower's new Washington, D.C., office and will also lead a presence in Austin, overseeing government relations, media and communications as the company aligns with U.S. strategic interest in critical minerals. He brings more than two decades of public affairs experience, including nine years at ExxonMobil, where he oversaw state government relations in the Northeast and helped build the public and government affairs team in Guyana. Empower is scaling commercial production of American-made lithium carbonate and plans to launch its first commercial sales in 2027, with CEO Patrick Dowling calling Sinclair the cornerstone of a leadership team assembled to lead American lithium production. The company noted that the United States controls only 1% of global lithium processing capacity.
Empower · Regulation · Positive Empower hired a government/public affairs chief and opened a Washington office to align with U.S. strategic interest in critical minerals as it scales lithium production.
Galliford Try Wins Place on £3 Billion West Midlands Framework
Galliford Try Holdings PLC has landed a spot on the latest £3 billion Constructing West Midlands Framework, selected for the major works lot covering projects over £10 million. Connecting Excellence Group Plc has completed its first acquisition, buying James Gray Recruitment, and has grown its Bitcoin holding to over 81 coins, worth around £5.25 million. Bradda Head Lithium Ltd has intersected visible spodumene mineralisation in all three of its first Whistlejacket holes in Arizona, with lab assays now the next key test. Tower Resources PLC has secured a one-year extension to its exploration licence at Thali in Cameroon and is now working towards a drilling campaign targeted for Q2 2027. Premier African Minerals Ltd has raised around £1.2 million to restart operations at its Zulu Lithium project in Zimbabwe, with the plan now focused on processing ore already sitting on the stockpile.
GFRD.LSE · Demand · Positive Won a place on the £3 billion Constructing West Midlands Framework for major works over £10 million.
PREM.LSE · Capital · Positive Raised around £1.2 million to restart operations at its Zulu Lithium project.
TRP.LSE · Regulation · Positive Secured a one-year extension to its Thali exploration licence in Cameroon, enabling a drilling campaign.
Connecting Excellence Group Plc · Capital · Positive Completed its first acquisition, buying James Gray Recruitment, and grew its Bitcoin holding to over 81 coins.
BHL.LSE · Technology · Positive Intersected visible spodumene mineralisation in all three first Whistlejacket holes, a positive exploration result pending assays.
PMET Signs Letter of Intent with Matagami for Spodumene Concentrate Rail Transshipment
PMET Resources Inc. has signed a Letter of Intent with the City of Matagami for transshipment services supporting its Shaakichiuwaanaan Project in Quebec. Under the planned arrangement, spodumene concentrate would be trucked from Shaakichiuwaanaan to Matagami's existing transshipment yard, where it would be transferred to rail for onward transportation to port, advancing a key component of the project's planned concentrate logistics chain. The LOI establishes a framework for the infrastructure upgrades and long-term transshipment services required to support the planned route to market, though infrastructure contributions, service pricing, and detailed operating arrangements remain subject to further negotiation. PMET said it is targeting a definitive commercial agreement with Matagami prior to a Final Investment Decision for Shaakichiuwaanaan. Chief Operating Officer Frédéric Mercier-Langevin said transshipment at Matagami is expected to provide a key link in the planned logistics chain connecting concentrate trucked from the Project to onward rail transportation.
PMET Resources Inc. · Supply · Positive LOI with Matagami secures rail transshipment logistics for spodumene concentrate from its Shaakichiuwaanaan Project, advancing its route to market
Mineral Resources Lithium Chief Joshua Thurlow Resigns, Stays Until December
Mineral Resources has announced that Joshua Thurlow, its Chief Executive Lithium who joined in 2019, resigned earlier this year and will remain with the company until December to support a smooth leadership transition across its lithium operations and partnerships. The departure removes a long-standing leader from a core lithium division that underpins Mineral Resources' growth options and joint venture relationships, raising questions about continuity of execution in that business line. The company also appointed Darren Killeen as Chief Operating Officer in May 2026, with responsibility for delivery across major assets, a move that alongside Thurlow's transition period suggests Mineral Resources is bedding down its broader operating bench. Mineral Resources' narrative projects A$6.6 billion in revenue and A$670.0 million in earnings by 2029, with a fair value estimate of A$66.65, a 31% upside to its current price. Some analysts were more optimistic before this news, assuming revenue of about A$6.9 billion and earnings of A$614.0 million by 2029, though execution risk at Onslow Iron and future lithium expansions remain the key concerns.
Mineral Resources Limited · Capital · Negative Lithium chief Joshua Thurlow resigned, raising execution-continuity concerns in a core growth division and prompting more cautious analyst assumptions.
Surge Battery Metals PFS Pegs Nevada North After-Tax NPV at US$9.81 Billion
Surge Battery Metals Inc. announced a positive Pre-Feasibility Study for the Nevada North Lithium Project in Elko County, Nevada, reporting an after-tax net present value at an 8% discount rate of US$9.81 billion and an after-tax internal rate of return of 23.6%, with a 4.2-year after-tax payback over a 42-year mine life. The project, held by Nevada North Lithium LLC and owned 67.5% by Surge and 32.5% by Evolution Mining Limited, is planned as a two-phase open-pit mine and on-site processing facility producing battery-grade lithium carbonate, with Phase 1 designed for approximately 55,900 tonnes per year and Phase 2 doubling capacity to a peak of approximately 111,400 tonnes per year, averaging approximately 92,250 tonnes per year over the life of mine. Phase 1 initial capital is estimated at US$2.77 billion, including US$442 million of contingency, while the Phase 2 expansion capital is estimated at US$2.35 billion, roughly 15% below Phase 1 for an expansion that doubles processing capacity. Life-of-mine average cash operating cost is US$4,719 per tonne of lithium carbonate, about 10% below the US$5,243 per tonne estimated in the 2025 Preliminary Economic Assessment, and overall lithium recovery improved to 84.9% from 82.8%. The PFS, prepared by Fluor Corporation as lead engineer, is based on a Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 218.3 million tonnes at 3,928 ppm Li containing 4.56 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, with no Inferred Mineral Resources in the mine plan, and the company said it intends to advance directly into FEL 3 engineering and a Feasibility Study, with first production targeted for the second half of 2031.
Surge Battery Metals Inc. · Capital · Positive Surge's Nevada North PFS shows a US$9.81B after-tax NPV, 23.6% IRR, and improved costs/recovery, advancing the project toward feasibility.
Evolution Mining Limited · Capital · Positive Evolution Mining holds a 32.5% stake in the Nevada North project, whose PFS reports a US$9.81B after-tax NPV and 23.6% IRR.
EQ Resources Swings to A$7.11 Million Full-Year Profit as Sales Reach A$165.44 Million
EQ Resources Limited reported full-year results to 30 June 2026, swinging to a net profit of A$7.11 million from a prior-year net loss. Sales rose to A$165.44 million and revenue to A$167.04 million, and the company moved from a loss per share to positive basic and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations. The company said the turnaround reflects core operations now earning their keep, though it flagged risks around high non-cash earnings, volatile share price moves, concentration in a niche commodity, and recent shareholder dilution. Short-term catalysts center on execution at key projects, integration of the Springer APT joint venture in the US, and governance and capital allocation under a refreshed board and relatively new management team. Simply Wall St Community fair value estimates for EQ Resources range from roughly A$0.25 to A$2.43 across three submissions.
EQ Resources Limited · Capital · Positive EQ Resources swung to a A$7.11 million full-year net profit with sales of A$165.44 million, a financial-results turnaround.
American Lithium Minerals Completes PCAOB Audit, Plans OTCQB Uplisting in Fourth Quarter 2026
American Lithium Minerals, Inc. announced it has completed its PCAOB-standard financial audit and confirmed its intention to uplist to the OTCQB Venture Market in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company said the audit completion satisfies a core eligibility requirement for OTCQB, including audited annual financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP, current SEC-equivalent reporting compliance, and minimum bid price and corporate governance standards. American Lithium Minerals said the move is expected to bring enhanced credibility, greater market visibility, improved liquidity, a broader investor base, and strengthened capital-markets positioning. President Frank Kristan called the PCAOB audit a foundational step in strengthening financial reporting and governance, adding that the fourth-quarter uplisting will expand visibility, credibility, and access to capital as the company advances its critical-minerals portfolio. The Carson City, Nevada-based company holds 11 active project interests spanning gold, silver, copper, lithium, and rare earth elements across Nevada, Chile, British Columbia, Yukon, Quebec, and Western Australia.
American Lithium Minerals, Inc. · Capital · Positive Completed PCAOB audit and plans OTCQB uplisting, strengthening capital-markets positioning and access to capital
Chuanfa Lomon's Holding Grandson Company Completes Renewal of Exploration Rights for the Simancuogou Spodumene Mine
Chuanfa Lomon announced on September 29 that its holding grandson company, Jinchuan Guotuo Mining Co., Ltd., recently completed the renewal of detailed exploration rights for the Simancuogou spodumene mine (preferred project) in Jinchuan County, Sichuan Province, and received the Mineral Resources Exploration License issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, valid from August 18, 2026 to March 29, 2031.
金川国拓矿业有限公司 · Regulation · Positive Jinchuan Guotuo Mining received the renewed Mineral Resources Exploration License for the Simancuogou spodumene mine from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
002312.CS · Supply · Positive Its holding grandson company completed renewal of exploration rights for the Simancuogou spodumene mine, securing lithium feedstock supply.
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