RANKED: World's top 10 biggest lithium operations - MINING.COM (2024)

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RANKED: World's top 10 biggest lithium operations - MINING.COM? ›

The world's largest lithium-producing mine is Talison Lithium and Albemarle's Greenbushes hard-rock mine in Australia, which put out 37,000 MT of lithium in concentrate in 2022.

The world's largest lithium-producing mine is Talison Lithium and Albemarle's Greenbushes hard-rock mine in Australia, which put out 37,000 MT of lithium in concentrate in 2022.

McDermitt Caldera, straddling the border of Oregon and Nevada, may hold 20 to 40 million metric tons of extractable lithium, which would make it the largest known lithium deposit in the world. The caldera was the site of a massive volcanic eruption roughly 16 million years ago, which spewed lithium-rich magma.

Australia alone produces 52% of the world's lithium. Unlike Chile, where lithium is extracted from brines, Australian lithium comes from hard-rock mines for the mineral spodumene.

In nature, lithium occurs only in compounds due to its high reactivity. Chile has the largest lithium reserves worldwide by a large margin. Australia comes in second, with reserves estimated at 6.2 million metric tons in 2023.

Tesla does not rely on a single supplier for lithium; instead, it diversifies its sources. At the end of 2021, Tesla signed a three-year lithium supply agreement with Ganfeng Lithium, a leading lithium producer based in China. Major mining companies like Livent and Albemarle also have supply contracts with Tesla.

The lithium mine at Thacker Pass is a project of Lithium Nevada, LLC – a wholly owned subsidiary of Lithium Americas Corp, whose largest shareholder is the world's largest lithium mining company, Chinese Ganfeng Lithium.

Nevada is currently home to the only lithium mine in the United States — the Silver Peak mine — which is operated by North Carolina-based chemicals company Albemarle Corp. and began operating in the 1960s.

Who owns most of the lithium mines? ›

Chile holds the world's largest lithium reserves and is the world's second-largest producer. Lithium is currently produced from hard rock or brine mines. Australia is the world's biggest supplier, with production from hard rock mines.

At the end of 2021, Tesla inked a fresh three year lithium supply deal with top lithium producer Ganfeng Lithium (OTC Pink:GNENF,SZSE:002460). The Chinese company will provide products to Tesla for three years starting in 2022.

What company makes Tesla's batteries? Tesla is currently working with Japanese company Panasonic, its longtime partner, as well as South Korea's LG Energy Solutions, the second largest battery supplier in the world. They supply the EV maker with cells containing nickel and cobalt.

Australia, the world's leading producer, extracts lithium directly from hard rock mines, specifically the mineral spodumene. Chile, along with Argentina, China, and other top producers, extracts lithium from brine.

What were the top lithium-producing countries in 2022? Australia took the top spot, and it was followed by Chile and China. Interest in lithium continues to grow due to its role in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs).

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) According to Blackridge Research & Consulting's recent study on the global lithium-ion battery market, China-based CATL was the largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer in 2021, with the highest market share.

Although lithium can be found all over the United States, there is only one operating mine in the country: the Albemarle Silver Peak Mine in Nevada. This mine uses the brine extraction method to pull lithium deposits from under the earth's surface.

As mentioned, back in 2020, Musk surprised the lithium industry by saying Tesla had acquired the rights to lithium-rich clay deposits in Nevada; it said it had found a way to mine the material in a sustainable and simple way — using table salt and water.