Tianqi Lithium Explained

Tianqi Lithium Corporation
Native Name:	天齐锂业股份有限公司
Type:	publicly traded company
Traded As:	HKEX:
Location:	Building 1 No.10 East Gaopeng Road, High-tech Zone, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Key People:	Jiang Weiping (蒋卫平, Founder & Chair) Jiang Anqi (蒋安琪, Vice Chair), Ha 'Frank' Chun Shing Ha (Director & CEO)^[1]
Num Employees:	1,773 (2021)
Website:	http://www.tianqilithium.com

Tianqi Lithium Corp (; previously Sichuan Tianqi Lithium Industries, Inc.) is a Chinese mining and manufacturing company based in Sichuan.^[2]

As of 2018, the company controls more than 46% of the production of lithium worldwide.^{[3] [4]}

Production

World production of lithium via spodumene was around 80,000 metric tonnes per annum in 2018, primarily from the Greenbushes pegmatite of Western Australia and from some Chinese and Chilean sources. The Talison mine in Greenbushes, Western Australia, is reported to be the 2nd largest and to have the highest grade of ore at 2.4% Li₂O (2012 figures).^[5]

Acquisitions

Tianqi has owned a 51% ownership stake in Talison Lithium, which operates the Greenbushes mine in Australia, since 2009. Tianqi announced in 2018 that it would invest US$600 million to construct a lithium processing plant in Kwinana, Western Australia.^[6]

In 2018, Tianqi acquired a 24% stake in the Chilean mining company Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) for approximately $4.1 billion.^{[3] [7]} Tianqi was to purchase 62.5 million SQM A shares for $65 each from Canadian fertilizer company Nutrien.^[7]

Tianqi is currently in a legal dispute with MSP Engineering over the payment for building the lithium hydroxide plant in Kwinana Western Australia. MSP claim that Tianqi have failed to meet scheduled payments totalling over $39 million. A WA Supreme Court order handed down an order giving Tianqi seven days to pay MSP almost $39 million, something that Tianqi has refused to do, seeking a stay on the judgement. The matter is still before the courts.^[8]

Carbon footprint

Tianqi Lithium Corp reported Total CO2e emissions (Direct + Indirect) for 31 December 2020 at 259 Kt.^[9]

See also

• Lithium
• Spodumene
• Ganfeng Lithium
• Sociedad Química y Minera
• Talison Lithium
• List of countries by lithium production

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sustainability Report 2021 . Tianqi Corporation . 2022. en. 4, 53–54.
2. News: China goes all out to secure lithium, cobalt supplies – key to dominating the world electric car market . . June 4, 2018 . Eric . Ng.
3. News: . Akshat . Rashi . May 30, 2018 . One Chinese company now controls most of the metal needed to make the world's advanced batteries .
4. Web site: Sichuan firm poised to control lion's share of the world's battery metal. 2018-05-23. South China Morning Post. en. 2019-03-24.
5. Web site: Greenbushes Lithium Mine . Golden Dragon Capital . 18 January 2019 . 19 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121438/http://www.goldendragoncapital.com/greenbushes-lithium-mine/ . dead .
6. News: Chinese company Tianqi Lithium has announced an investment of around US$600 million to construct a lithium processing plant in Kwinana, Western Australia. . . China charges Australia's lithium boom . Lachlan . Colquhoun . January 23, 2018.
7. News: China's Tianqi Lithium to buy a quarter of Chile's SQM for $4.1 billion . . Yashaswini . Swamynathan . Marcy . Nicholson . May 17, 2018 . China’s Tianqi Lithium Corp (002466.SZ) said on Thursday it will buy nearly a quarter of Chilean lithium producer SQM SQMa.SN for $4.1 billion, gaining it coveted access to a key ingredient in rechargeable batteries that power mobile phones and electric cars..
8. Web site: 2021-03-10. Lithium plant builder sheds 400 as China's Tianqi refuses to pay. 2021-10-02. Australian Financial Review. en.
9. Web site: Tianqi Lithium Corp's Sustainability Report for 2020Q4 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211001121009/http://en.tianqilithium.com/Upload/File/202105/20210531151433_8990.pdf . October 1, 2021 . Alt URL