Ganfeng Lithium

• Mangrove Lithium, the next generation lithium refining company, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Annie Liu as Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer.
• Annie brings over 20 years of executive and entrepreneurial experience to Mangrove.
• In her prior role as Head of Supply Chain, Battery and Energy at Tesla, Annie developed and managed the company’s multi-billion dollar partnerships and sourcing portfolio.
• Following this role, Annie also worked as an Executive Director at the Ford Motor Company, where she focused on securing the company’s battery supply chain for their Model E division.

• Rising demand for lithium batteries, lubricants, glass & ceramics, and foundry is expected to foster the growth of this market.
• The growing adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles, high-drain portable electronics, and energy storage systems have boosted the growth of the overall market.
• The Paris Agreement aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 40% under its 2030 climate and energy framework.
• Governments in several countries worldwide are implementing strict emission standards to reduce and control carbon emissions, thus augmenting market growth.

• Soda ash is a critical reagent required to produce lithium carbonate; each tonne of lithium carbonate produced utilizes two tonnes of soda ash in processing.
• Currently, much of the soda ash supply for the production of lithium carbonate in Argentina is sourced outside the country.
• The 260 hectare Laguna Santa Maria appears as a salar or salt flat.
• Work to date has included a Vertical Survey and a site visit with limited sampling.

• China’s State Grid now controls over half of Chile’s regulated energy distribution, enough to raise concerns in the Chilean government.
• China’s growing influence over global clean energy supply chains and its leverage over countries’ energy systems have raised international concerns.
• Alongside international investments, Latin American countries are fostering energy innovation cultures that are homegrown, dynamic, creative, often grassroots and frequently overlooked.

Chile looks to the future

• Chile is an example of how Latin America is embracing renewable energy while trying to plan a more self-reliant future.
• New geothermal, solar and wind power projects – some built with Chinese backing, but not all – have pushed Chile far past its 2025 renewable energy goal.
• In April 2023, Chile’s president announced a national lithium strategy to ensure that the state holds partial ownership of some future lithium developments.

Learning from foreign investors

• It invited and co-financed foreign research institutes, such as Europe’s influential Fraunhofer institute and France’s ENGIELab, to establish branches in Chile and conduct applied research.
• The government expected that the centers would work with local businesses and research centers, transferring knowledge to feed a local innovation ecosystem.
• The foreign institutions brought their own trained personnel.

Chile’s startup incubator and frugal innovation

• Chile is home to one of the largest public incubators and seed accelerators in Latin America, StartUp Chile.
• Often in South America, this kind of innovation is born and developed in a resource-scarce context and under technological, financial and material constraints.
• For example, the independent Chilean startup Reborn Electric Motors has developed a business converting old diesel bus fleets into fully electric buses.
• Bolivia’s “tiny supercheap EV” developed by homegrown startup Industrias Quantum Motors is another example of frugal innovation in the electric vehicles space.

Looking ahead to green hydrogen

• Using its abundant solar and wind power to produce green hydrogen for export as a fossil fuel replacement has become a government priority.
• Some questions surround the partnership, including Chile’s lack of experience administering such a large project and concerns about the environmental impact.
• The government claims Chile’s green energy production could eventually rival its mining industry.