2023 Archived Content

Cambridge EnerTech’s

Global Battery Raw Materials

Balancing Supply, Demand, and Costs for Battery Component Materials

December 13-14, 2023



Understanding the complexities of the global supply chain for battery component materials from the mine to the market is critical to the successful commercialization of EV applications. An examination of the drivers of end user demand with a focus on major new projects in the pipeline and how that demand will evolve over the near- and long-term will be presented. This conference will cover the global markets from multiple angles including advances in mining and processing with an emphasis on sourcing and cost-control strategies by manufacturers with an outlook on the forecasted consumption trends for China, Japan, Korea, Europe, and the United States. Don’t miss your opportunity to network with the major players within the global battery supply chain.

Wednesday, December 13

Registration Open7:45 am

Organizer's Welcome Remarks2:00 pm

Craig Wohlers, Executive Director, Conferences, Cambridge EnerTech

SUPPLY CHAIN SUSTAINABILITY

2:05 pm

Chairperson's Remarks

Rohan Gokhale, PhD, Applied Technology Manager, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials

2:10 pm

Sustainable Lithium Supply—SQM at the Forefront of Transparent Mining Assurance

Stefan Debruyne, Director of External Affairs, SQM International

Lithium is an essential element in the global energy transition. It's critically important to stakeholders that it is mined in a sustainable and equitable way. Besides an update on SQM's progress on its Sustainable Development Plan, SQM's Innovation Roadmap toward water-neutral lithium production will be presented. Additionally, global lithium demand and SQM's expansion plan will be updated.

2:30 pm

North America’s Role in the Lithium-ion Economy

Andrew Miller, COO, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

This presentation will address lithium-ion battery supply chain dynamics: challenges & opportunities as well as raw material bottlenecks; lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and financing the EV supply chain; capital requirements to meet the EV demand of the coming decade.

2:50 pm

How will Market Headwinds, Complexity, and Oversupply Impact the Battery Value Chain?

Taylor Shively, Principal Consultant, CRU Group

Decarbonization and electrification of transportation, spurred by government support, is driving an array of evolving battery chemistries, unprecedented demand for battery metals, and a surging supply response. The resulting market dynamics are complex and rapidly shifting. Taylor will explore these themes and CRU’s outlook for supply, demand, and price evolution—highlighting lithium, nickel, and cobalt, and detailing supply chain interdependencies and competition, as well as considerations for critical minerals.

3:10 pm MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Rohan Gokhale, PhD, Applied Technology Manager, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials

PANELISTS:

Stefan Debruyne, Director of External Affairs, SQM International

Andrew Miller, COO, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Taylor Shively, Principal Consultant, CRU Group

Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)3:25 pm

GLOBAL DEMAND FOR BATTERY RAW MATERIALS

4:10 pm

Deal Making, Investment and Innovation in Lithium

Alice Yu, Senior Research Analyst, Metals and Mining Research, S&P Global Market Intelligence

The security of lithium supply and stability in the cost of lithium are paramount for refiners, battery makers and automakers. Geopolitics have also influenced investment decisions, with policy makers increasingly shaping where the material should come from, who can invest and what they should be investing in. Framed upon our price outlook for lithium, this presentation will look at key trends in lithium capital spending and deal-making, shifts in supply geographies, and technical innovations that have come about to develop a lithium supply chain that meets interests of different markets.

4:30 pm

Securing Battery Raw Materials Tantamount to Meeting the 50% EV Goals by 2030 

Kimberly Berman, Senior Consultant, SFA Oxford

The lack of a cohesive plan to secure the necessary battery material supply chains will present numerous challenges for the many planned gigafactories to be built over the next 5 years. This presentation will demonstrate that re-shoring battery grade raw material production will only solve part of the problem, and there is a need to increase recycling capacity, as well as enter into trade agreements with resource rich countries.

4:50 pm

Powering the EV Revolution: Accelerating Lithium Extraction with Sustainable Innovation

Sandro Mazzini, Chief Commercial Officer, Summit Nanotech

Amidst an electrifying revolution, the global demand for lithium is soaring due to its role in manufacturing EV batteries. Yet, traditional lithium mining methods present significant drawbacks – consuming extensive time, land, and freshwater while producing a low yield and placing undue stress on surrounding communities and ecosystems. By embracing innovative and sustainable Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies, we can deliver the greenest lithium to the market at an unprecedented pace.

5:10 pm Revolutionary Plasma Technology Producing Clean, Low-Cost Critical Battery Materials Domestically

Arturo Gutierrez, PhD, Principal Scientist, 6K Energy

Plasma technology is a solution for producing battery materials domestically. Unlike traditional processes, plasma technology can cut production time from days to hours, produce zero solid or liquid waste, and allows decreased dependency on foreign markets.

5:30 pm MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Rohan Gokhale, PhD, Applied Technology Manager, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials

PANELISTS:

Alice Yu, Senior Research Analyst, Metals and Mining Research, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Kimberly Berman, Senior Consultant, SFA Oxford

Sandro Mazzini, Chief Commercial Officer, Summit Nanotech

Arturo Gutierrez, PhD, Principal Scientist, 6K Energy

Close of Day5:50 pm

Thursday, December 14

Registration and Morning Coffee8:30 am

Organizer's Remarks9:00 am

Craig Wohlers, Executive Director, Conferences, Cambridge EnerTech

GLOBAL DEMAND FOR BATTERY RAW MATERIALS

9:25 am

Chairperson's Remarks

Kimberly Berman, Senior Consultant, SFA Oxford

9:30 am The North American Electrolyte Market and the Need for Local Production

Tomasz Zukowski, Key Account Manager, E-Lyte Innovations GmbH

In recent years, the lithium-ion battery has conquered many new applications such as automotive, medical or aviation. Each application places different demands on the battery. Liquid electrolytes are still omnipresent. This talk includes future electrolyte demands and announced production capacities in North America. It examines the major electrolyte producers and includes a discussion on price drivers and major technical trends.

9:50 am

Optimization of Cathode Materials for High Performance EV Batteries

Rohan Gokhale, PhD, Applied Technology Manager, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials

Umicore is a global leader in the battery cathode materials manufacturing space, with over 20 years of experience and expertise in development of specialized products using innovative processes, driven primarily by customer demand. This presentation will provide an overview of recent updates on localization of production in North America and toolkit used by CAM manufacturers to obtain best performance in the cathode product.

10:10 am Scaling Eco-Friendly Synthetic Graphite Production in the United States

Jeremy Schrooten, Ph.D., Vice President, Technology, Anovion Technologies

Scaling Eco-Friendly Synthetic Graphite Production in the United States

10:30 am MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Kimberly Berman, Senior Consultant, SFA Oxford

PANELISTS:

Tomasz Zukowski, Key Account Manager, E-Lyte Innovations GmbH

Rohan Gokhale, PhD, Applied Technology Manager, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials

Jeremy Schrooten, Ph.D., Vice President, Technology, Anovion Technologies

Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing10:45 am

11:50 am

Battery Raw Material Supply Response after Shortages

William Adams, Head of Battery Research, Cobalt & Lithium & Battery Materials Research, Fastmarkets

What should the market expect in terms of a supply response from battery raw material producers? What is the outlook for supply, demand, and prices in these complicated and fast-moving markets? The talk will look at recent developments in battery raw materials, the impact it has had on the supply chain, and the underlying trends in lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

12:10 pm

Securing Critical Raw Materials at Competitive Costs and CO2 Emissions

Wolfgang Bernhart, Senior Partner, Automotive Competence Center, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants GmbH

Outlook on demand-supply balance for Li, Ni, Co, Mn, and graphite; alternative feedstock and processing routes; comparing costs and CO2 emission; strategies to secure critically raw materials adopted by major players; framework for holistic evaluation of raw material strategies.

12:30 pm

Can Circular Economy and Cathode Chemistry Evolution Stabilize the Supply Chain of Li-ion Batteries?

Ahmad Mayyas, PhD, Professor, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Khalifa University

The exponential increase in electric vehicle sales in the last ten years has put increasing pressure on limited supplies of cobalt and lithium. To facilitate access to these commodities, many manufacturers have established close working relationships with suppliers. Cathode evolution will not relieve the stress on critical material supplies, the industry also works on recycling high-value materials from end-of-life batteries which can help secure sustainable sources of cheaper, yet environmentally-friendly materials. Adoption of effective recycling methods such as hydrometallurgical means, can partly but not fully offset the gap between demands and supplies in many regions around the world.

12:50 pm MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Kimberly Berman, Senior Consultant, SFA Oxford

PANELISTS:

William Adams, Head of Battery Research, Cobalt & Lithium & Battery Materials Research, Fastmarkets

Wolfgang Bernhart, Senior Partner, Automotive Competence Center, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants GmbH

Ahmad Mayyas, PhD, Professor, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Khalifa University

Networking Lunch (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)1:05 pm

Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing — Last Chance for Viewing (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)2:00 pm

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES IN BATTERY RAW MATERIALS

2:30 pm

Chairperson's Remarks

Kyle Gordon, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Technology Center, Automotive & Industrials, Roland Berger

2:35 pm

Battery Raw Materials Refining—An Industry Overview 

Lukasz Bednarski, Associate Director, Battery Raw Materials, IHS Markit

This talk will cover key aspects of battery raw materials industry. This presentation aims to highlight the current state of the refining industry, examining the technological advancements in refining processes, sourcing strategies, market dynamics, and the pressing issue of sustainability.

2:55 pm

Sustainable, Locally-Produced, Bio-Based Anode Material

Otto Kivi, Senior Business Development Specialist, Biomaterials, Stora Enso

Stora Enso is a Northern Europe based biomaterial company, operating in 50 countries and turning over around 12 billion EUR. Stora Enso is piloting tree-based anode material, Lignode, for battery cells. With Lignode, it will be possible to have a local supply chain, and also reduce the CO2-footprint of the battery.

3:15 pm Innovating the Critical Minerals Midstream: An Introduction to NOVONIX’s All-Dry, Zero-Waste Nickel-Based Cathode Materials

Mark McArthur, PhD, Director, R&D Services, NOVONIX

New methods of producing materials are required to sustain the growth of battery manufacturing in North America. NOVONIX, a leading battery materials and technology company, is revolutionizing the global lithium-ion battery sector. An introduction of NOVONIX’s patent-pending all-dry, zero-waste synthesis process will be presented while highlighting the numerous advantages all-dry methods have over conventional NMC cathode manufacture tailored for the domestic supply chain using examples of materials generated on its 10 tpa pilot facility. 

3:35 pm MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Kyle Gordon, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Technology Center, Automotive & Industrials, Roland Berger

PANELISTS:

Lukasz Bednarski, Associate Director, Battery Raw Materials, IHS Markit

Otto Kivi, Senior Business Development Specialist, Biomaterials, Stora Enso

Networking Refreshment Break3:50 pm

4:00 pm

Raw Materials in the North American Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Database

Ahmad A. Pesaran, PhD, Chief Energy Storage Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

With the projected forecast that about 40% of sale of new vehicle to be electric by 2030, 4-5 times more lithium-ion batteries (LIB) and their materials would be needed. The major concerns in the US are access to raw material resources and the associated supply chain with the strategy to not depend on imports from competitive or politically undesirable countries. In partnership with NAATBatt, NREL has developed the North American Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Database which is a detailed directory of North American companies including mining, and raw and battery-grade material production, electrode/cell/pack manufacturing, and recycling. The latest version was released in June 2023. In this presentation, we will introduce the latest progress in the Database and focus on mining and raw materials production companies. Our databased has identified more than 34 companies working in raw materials segment in 65 facilities. These reflect more than 50% increase compared to August 2022 indicated a relatively good growth in the North America in these areas and expected to be continued in the next 10 years.

4:20 pm

Under Pressure: Battery Raw Materials in a Net Zero Scenario

Max Reid, Principal Analyst, Battery & Raw Materials, Wood Mackenzie

Achieving global net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will see an incredible shift across all industries—most powered by the metals & mining sector. Looking at road transport electrification alone, the challenges are monumental. This presentation quantifies the impact on battery raw materials markets in a net zero pathway from the surge in battery demand. Are there any mechanisms to ease pressures on mining sector?

4:40 pm MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Kyle Gordon, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Technology Center, Automotive & Industrials, Roland Berger

PANELISTS:

Ahmad A. Pesaran, PhD, Chief Energy Storage Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Max Reid, Principal Analyst, Battery & Raw Materials, Wood Mackenzie

Close of Conference4:55 pm






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