(Reuters) -Rio Tinto mentioned on Wednesday it will purchase Arcadium Lithium for $6.7 billion in an all-cash deal that may make it one of many world’s largest lithium producers.
The worldwide miner would acquire entry to Arcadium’s wide selection of mines, processing services and deposits together with a buyer base that features automakers Tesla (NASDAQ:), BMW (ETR:) and Normal Motors (NYSE:).
Rio’s Rincon challenge in Argentina is because of begin producing later this 12 months, whereas its Jadar challenge in Serbia might take not less than two years to safe all the mandatory permits.
Beneath is a listing of the highest lithium producers on this planet as per market cap:
1. Albermale
Albemarle (NYSE:) is the world’s largest lithium producer, with a market cap of about $12 billion. It runs the one producing lithium mine in North America, and likewise has operations in Chile and Western Australia.
It holds joint ventures in Australia with Mineral Sources on the Wodgina mine and with Tianqi Lithium on the Greenbushes mine.
In 2023, it produced 39,000 tons of lithium metallic.
2. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile
Chile’s SQM is the second-largest lithium producer, with a market cap of $11.43 billion. China’s Tianqi Lithium owns a couple of fifth of the corporate.
SQM final 12 months produced round 165,500 tons of lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate, based on its annual report.
3. Ganfeng Lithium
China’s Ganfeng Lithium has a market cap of $9.37 billion. It additionally owns a 6.16% stake in Australia’s Pilbara Minerals. It has operations in Western Australia, Argentina, Mexico and China.
4. Tianqi Lithium
Tianqi Lithium, which has a market cap of $8.11 billion, has operations in Australia, Chile and China.
5. Mineral Sources
Australia’s Mineral Sources has a market cap of $7.12 billion and is the world’s largest miner of hardrock spodumene. It holds stakes in a number of builders comparable to World Lithium, Delta Lithium and Wildcat Sources.
Per final 12 months’s annual report, the corporate shipped 847,000 dry metric tons (dmt) of spodumene focus.
6. Pilbara Minerals
Pilbara Minerals has a market cap of $6.34 billion and operates the Pilgangoora mine in Western Australia. In August, it made a A$559.9 million ($378.21 million) bid for smaller peer Latin Sources to achieve entry to its Brazilian operations.
In 2023, it produced 620,147 dmt of complete spodumene focus.
7. Arcadium Lithium
Arcadium Lithium has a market cap of $3.31 billion and was shaped by the merger of Allkem and Livent (NYSE:) on Jan. 4, 2024. It has mining property in Argentina and Australia, and downstream conversion property within the U.S., China, Japan and UK.
As of 2023, each the businesses collectively produced round 29,661 tons of lithium carbonate, and Allkem alone produced 239,312 dmt of spodumene focus.
8. Liontown Sources
Liontown Sources (ASX:) has a market cap of $1.45 billion, and operates in Western Australia.
In September, it shipped its first lithium output of 11,855 moist metric tons of spodumene focus.
($1 = 1.4804 Australian {dollars})
