markets / supply chain
By lens · 1 takes across the edition
Reuters · Global · Albemarle's Kings Mountain spodumene project cleared its EPA review; Q1 2026 net income rose 672% on lithium price recovery
Reports Albemarle keeping Kemerton Trains 1 and 2 in Western Australia on care-and-maintenance with a formal sale process under way to reduce fixed-cost exposure. Frames the decision as structural rather than cyclical: Australian hydroxide conversion is not cost-competitive against Chinese conversion capacity for Chilean or Australian spodumene at current prices, making Kemerton uneconomic absent a substantial IRA-aligned price premium from a buyer.
“Australian hydroxide conversion is not cost-competitive against Chinese capacity at current prices; Albemarle's Kemerton sale process reflects a structural shift, not a cycle call.”