Mining industry companies are increasingly innovating in cloud
Research and innovation in cloud in the mining industry operations and technologies sector is on...
Global Lithium Market Trends
Demand for lithium is rising exponentially due to the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and grid-scale lithium-ion batteries for energy storage.
Mining Technology tracks the global lithium market by observing lithium price trends and analysing worldwide lithium reserves, production, exports, and imports data. We also closely monitor the performance of lithium mining companies and active lithium mines, as well as the progress of major lithium exploration and development projects around the world.
The global lithium metal production is forecast to surpass 100 thousand tonnes (kt) in 2023, according to GlobalData.
In partnership with
GlobalData forecasts data for 15 commodities of 60 leading mining countries, with 70 reports per year covering supply & demand, key projects, activities of major mining companies and fiscal regimes.
Expert Comments and Analysis
Largest Lithium Producing Countries
Mining Technology ranks the biggest lithium producing countries by analysing lithium production by country based on a comprehensive database that covers major lithium mining locations around the world.
The world’s biggest lithium mining countries in 2020 included Australia, Chile and Argentina.
The top three lithium producing countries together accounted for 78% of the global lithium output in 2020.
Biggest Lithium Mines in the World
Mining Technology keeps a close watch on the production of major lithium mining projects to rank the world’s biggest lithium mines.
With an output of 0.096Mtpa, Salar de Atacama Mine (Albemarle Corporation) in Chile ranked as the world’s biggest lithium mine in 2020.
The world’s ten biggest lithium mining operations together accounted for 66% of the global lithium metal output in 2020.
| Mine Name | Country | State | Owner | Mine Type & Method | Production 2020 (MTPA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salar de Atacama Mine (Albemarle Corporation) | Chile | El Loa | Albemarle Corp(100%) | Surface & To be confirmed | 0.1 |
| Greenbushes Lithium Operations | Australia | Western Australia | Albemarle Corp(49%), Tianqi Lithium Corporation(26.01%), IGO Ltd(24.99%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.07 |
| Mount Marion Lithium Project | Australia | Western Australia | Mineral Resources Ltd(50%), Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co Ltd(50%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.03 |
| Pilgangoora Mine | Australia | Western Australia | Pilbara Minerals Ltd(100%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.03 |
| Salar del Hombre Muerto Mine | Argentina | Catamarca | Livent Corp(100%) | In-situ Leaching & In-situ Leaching | 0.02 |
| Mount Cattlin Mine | Australia | Western Australia | Galaxy Resources Ltd(80%), Traka Resources Ltd(20%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.02 |
| Pilgangoora Project | Australia | Western Australia | Pilbara Minerals Ltd(100%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.01 |
| Salar De Olaroz Lithium Project | Argentina | Jujuy | Orocobre Ltd(66.5%), Toyota Tsusho Corp(25%), Jujuy Energia y Mineria Sociedad del Estado(8.5%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.01 |
| Bald Hill Lithium and Tantalum Project | Australia | Western Australia | Alita Resources Ltd(100%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.01 |
| Wodgina Lithium Mine | Australia | Western Australia | Albemarle Corp(60%), Mineral Resources Ltd(40%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.01 |
Source: GlobalData
Major Upcoming Lithium Mines
Mining Technology lists the major upcoming lithium mines in the world by comparing annual production capacities of upcoming lithium mining projects.
Goulamina Lithium Project in Mali is the biggest upcoming lithium mine in the world, with an annual production capacity of 0.059Mtpa.
Jadar Project in Serbia and Earl Grey Lithium Project in Australia are the next major upcoming lithium mines with a capacity of 0.05Mtpa and 0.043Mtpa, respectively.
| Mine Name | Country | State | Owner | Mine Type & Method | Annual Production Capacity (MTPA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goulamina Lithium Project | Mali | Sikasso | Firefinch Ltd(100%) | Surface & Open Cut | 0.06 |
| Jadar Project | Serbia | Sumadija and Western Serbia | Rio Tinto(100%) | Underground & To be confirmed | 0.05 |
| Earl Grey Lithium Project | Australia | Western Australia | Wesfarmers Ltd(50%), Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA(50%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.04 |
| Kathleen Valley Project (Liontown Resources) | Australia | Western Australia | Liontown Resources Ltd(100%) | Surface and Underground & Open Pit/Stoping | 0.04 |
| Cauchari-Olaroz Project | Argentina | Jujuy | Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co Ltd(51%), Lithium Americas Corp(49%) | In-situ Leaching & In-situ Leaching | 0.04 |
| Thacker Pass Project | United States | Nevada | Lithium Americas Corp(100%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.03 |
| Bougouni Lithium Project | Mali | Sikasso | Kodal Minerals Plc(100%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.03 |
| Manono Project | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Katanga | AVZ Minerals Ltd(60%), La Congolaise Dexploitation Miniere SA(25%), Dathomir Mining Ressources SARL(15%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.03 |
| Moblan Project | Canada | Quebec | Guo Ao Lithium Co., Ltd(60%), SOQUEM Inc(40%) | Surface & Open Pit | 0.03 |
| Mount Finniss Project | Australia | Northern Territory | Core Lithium Ltd(100%) | Surface and Underground & Open Pit | 0.03 |
Source: GlobalData
Sharing Economy: Technology trends
Technology has emerged as the key enabler for the adoption of the sharing economy. Companies...
Twitter: Rising lithium prices and more
Mining Technology lists five of the most popular tweets on battery minerals in Q1 2022...
Australia continues to dominate the use of autonomous haul trucks
Between May 2021 and May 2022, the number of autonomous haul trucks in operation globally...
New projects to support growth in Australian iron ore production in 2022
Australia’s iron ore production is set to increase by 2% to 941 million tonnes (Mt)...