Tianqi Lithium Corp (; previously Sichuan Tianqi Lithium Industries, Inc.) is a Chinese

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

and

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

company based in

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

. As of 2018, the company controls more than 46% of the production of

lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...

worldwide.

Production

World production of lithium via

spodumene Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, Li Al( Si O3)2, and is a commercially important source of lithium. It occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite (see below), or alternatively yellow ...

was around 80,000 metric tonnes per annum in 2018, primarily from the Greenbushes pegmatite of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and from some Chinese and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an sources. The Talison mine in

Greenbushes, Western Australia Greenbushes is a timber and mining town located in the Southwest, Western Australia, South West region of Western Australia. The 2021 population was 365. History Greenbushes was founded as a mining town in 1888 following a surveying, surveyor's ...

, is reported to be the 2nd largest and to have the highest grade of ore at 2.4% Li₂O (2012 figures).

Acquisitions

Tianqi has owned a 51% ownership stake in Talison Lithium, which operates the Greenbushes mine in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, since 2009. Tianqi announced in 2018 that it would invest US$600 million to construct a lithium processing plant in Kwinana,

. In 2018, Tianqi acquired a 24% stake in the Chilean mining company

Sociedad Química y Minera Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) is a Chilean chemical company and a supplier of plant nutrients, iodine, lithium and industrial chemicals. It is the world's biggest lithium producer. SQM's natural resources and its main production fa ...

(SQM) for approximately $4.1 billion. Tianqi was to purchase 62.5 million SQM A shares for $65 each from

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

fertilizer company

Nutrien Nutrien is a Canadian fertilizer company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is the largest producer of potash, second largest producer of nitrogen fertilizer in the world and generally the 2nd largest in fertilizers worldwide. It has over 2,0 ...

. Tianqi is currently in a legal dispute with MSP Engineering over the payment for building the lithium

hydroxide Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water. It ...

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.

Carbon footprint

Tianqi Lithium Corp reported Total CO2e emissions (Direct + Indirect) for 31 December 2020 at 259 Kt.Alt URL
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References

External links

* Companies listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Companies based in Sichuan Chengdu Metal companies of China Civilian-run enterprises of China Companies established in 1995 2010 initial public offerings 2022 initial public offerings H shares Manufacturing companies of China Lithium mining Lithium Companies in the CSI 100 Index 1995 in Chengdu {{China-company-stub

Production

Acquisitions

Carbon footprint

See also

References

External links