How a Battery Metals Supply Glut is Deepening China’s Dominance
Crashing metals prices are making it hard for Western miners to justify new investments in the minerals needed for clean energy.
A truck transports lithium ore from an open cast mine in Western Australia. Credit: Jason Benz Bennee via Shutterstock
An avalanche of cheap minerals originating from Chinese producers is thwarting Western governments’ hopes of fighting back against China’s dominance over the electric vehicle supply chain.
Since last year, the prices of metals vital to battery making have slumped: lithium is down by more than 80 percent, while nickel and cobalt have both tumbled over 40 percent. In response, miners from Canada to Australia have been forced to pull back on investment plans, cut production and initiat
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