Geopolitics will dominate the agenda as Australia’s largest ever battery minerals conference kicks off in Perth on Wednesday, 6th April.
Paydirt’s Battery Minerals Conference is set for the biggest turnout in its six-year history with 500 delegates expected to join 40 presenters and 50 exhibitors at the Pan Pacific Perth.
The interest in the forum is hardly surprising, given the increasingly dynamic nature of the battery minerals sector. The push for decarbonisation and the subsequent rise in electric vehicle production has placed intense scrutiny on the supply chains for lithium-ion battery ingredients such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, rare earths and manganese.
The early months of 2022 have seen the nickel price hit an unprecedented $100,000 a tonne and lithium prices rise fivefold as western governments and car manufacturers scramble to secure supplies of these key materials.
Their sights are undoubtedly trained on Australian companies, which have grown to dominate the ex-China supply of raw materials for the battery sector. The likes of Tesla and LG Energy have already signed offtake agreements with Australian producers and are now looking for the next generation of supply.
Paydirt Battery Minerals Conference organiser Bill Repard believes this year’s conference will have a heightened geopolitical dimension.
“We are witnessing a global race to secure supply of materials key to the rollout of EVs,” Repard says.
“Fortunately for Australia, local companies are at the heart of this supply whether their projects are in Australia or overseas.”
Many of those companies will be presenting their investment stories at the event with the programme covering nine different commodities and more than 15 jurisdictions.
“It shows the breadth of the opportunity in front of Australia’s emerging battery minerals scene,” Repard says.
“But it is far more than just a mining story anymore. Lots of these companies are also building downstream projects which will refine the raw material into the chemical ingredients needed for the final battery product.
“It is the beginning of a new era in which Australian miners become refiners as well.”
Federal Resources Minister Keith Pitt will provide the opening address on April 6 and West Australian Minister for Mines Bill Johnston will deliver a keynote later in the morning.
The opening will be preceded by the Paydirt Business Breakfast which will see US Consul-General Perth David Gainer join UK High Commission First Secretary Peter Harrington and Critical Minerals Facilitation Office general manager Andrew Hutchinson for a panel discussion about Australia’s role in the global supply chain.
Paydirt’s Battery Minerals Conference takes place at the Pan Pacific Perth on April 6 and 7. Full media facilities will be available. The media room will be managed by Cannings Purple.
For more information or to register, please contact Mitchelle Matambo at Paydirt (08 9321 0355) or Michael Cairnduff at Cannings Purple (mcairnduff@canningspurple.com.au)
