Cathodes 2017: Notes from the Floor

The first Cathodes conference from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence just wrapped up, and it was a busy event for the Investing News Network.
The team hit the floor hard to speak to companies and industry experts, and of course had the opportunity to take in some presentations. Held in Newport Beach, California from October 8 to 10, the conference examined the present and future of the cathode industry.
If you weren’t able to make it to Cathodes, don’t worry. We’ve put together a recap of the three-day event, and will be publishing interviews with some of the key speakers in the coming days. Scroll down to get a taste of what happened.

The conference began on Sunday (October 8) with a talk from guest of honor Dr. Stanley Whittingham, who was responsible for a fundamental development that enabled today’s lithium-ion batteries.

“NCM is the leader,” says Dr Stanley Whittingham #Cathodes2017 pic.twitter.com/KUo58dntcm

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 9, 2017

Monday (October 9) morning, attendees heard cathode manufacturers speak about trends in the industry and what has been happening in China and North America. Speakers included: Prabhakar Patil, former CEO of LG Chem Power (KRX:051910); Yuan Gao, president and CEO of Pulead Technology Industry; and Michael Fetcenko, managing director at BASF Battery Materials (ETR:BAS).

Session 1 of #Cathodes2017 underway. Excellent talks from Aran Wittingham, Prabhakar Patil, Yuan Gao & Micheal Fetcenko kicking things off pic.twitter.com/oVFGE4clu5

— Andrew Miller (@amiller_bmi) October 9, 2017

“Lithium-ion batteries will be around for the next 10 years at least,” says LG Chem Power former CEO Prabhakar Patil #Cathodes2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 9, 2017

“Cathodes with higher nickel content is the trend that dominates the market,” says BASF Battery Materials Michael Fetcenko #Cathodes2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 9, 2017

Upstream companies took the stage for Monday’s second session. Anthony Tse, managing director at Galaxy Resources (ASX:GXY), shared his lithium market outlook, while Guy Bourassa, president and CEO of Nemaska Lithium (TSX:NMX), discussed growing lithium hydroxide demand in North America.

.@Nemaska_Lithium CEO Guy Bourassa talks about lithium hydroxide at #Cathodes2017 pic.twitter.com/FuwQ6wm4Ay

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 9, 2017

The cobalt perspective was presented by Dan Carroll of Freeport Cobalt. Meanwhile, Frank Nikolic, senior marketing manager at Vale (NYSE:VALE), shared his thoughts on the nickel market.

Vale: We see a defecit in the battery nickel market the last two years” #EV #Cathodes2017 pic.twitter.com/2A08gsZboR

— Benchmark Minerals (@benchmarkmin) October 9, 2017

In the afternoon, two workshops took place on what’s ahead for the lithium, cobalt and nickel markets. Panels featured experts and CEOs, including: Joe Lowry, president of Global Lithium; Andrew Miller, senior analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence; Tim Johnston, president and CEO of Desert Lion Energy; Robin Goad, president and CEO of Fortune Minerals (TSX:FT); David Weight, president of the Cobalt Institute; and Oliver Nugent of the London Metal Exchange.

#Lithium workshop at #Cathodes2017 pic.twitter.com/83BiSHipSM

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 9, 2017

Cobalt -Nickel Lunch: “Cobalt is under massive scrutiny.. under attack from all sides” – David Weight, Cobalt Institute. #Cathodes2017 pic.twitter.com/Vmd0R9URPk

— Simon Moores (@sdmoores) October 9, 2017

Day one wrapped up with a session from companies developing lithium, cobalt and nickel assets around the world. Speakers included execs from eCobalt Solutions (TSX:ECS), Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS), First Cobalt (TSX:FCC), American Manganese (TSXV:AMY), Pure Energy Minerals (TSXV:PE), Global Geoscience (ASX:GSC), Piedmont Lithium (ASX:PLL), Celsius Resources (ASX:CLA) and Battery Mineral Resources. There was also a chance to learn more about companies at the exhibit hall.

Busy day at #Cathodes2017 pic.twitter.com/2ef6iQDOEk

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 9, 2017

Day two kicked off on Tuesday (October 10) with two concurrent briefings, market analysis and technical, where different panels discussed key issues in the industry.

“Energy storage will be a $3.1 billion market in the US by 2022,” says GTM Research analyst Brett Simon #Cathodes2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 10, 2017

“Post 2021 the real next generation of EVs and stationary storage demand will take off,” says @sdmoores #Cathodes2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 10, 2017

The following session examined cathode demand in detail from different perspectives. Sam Jaffe, president of Cairn Energy Research, shared his market outlook for lithium-ion battery demand, while Marc Fenigstein, CEO of Alta Motors, discussed the “overlooked” light duty vehicle space.

“#Lithium-ion battery demand will reach 750 GWh by 2026,” says Cairn Energy Research President Sam Jaffe #Cathodes2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 10, 2017

“Light duty vehicles will be more significant than everyone expects. The space could reach $1T by 2030,” says @altamotors #Cathodes2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 10, 2017

Naoki Matsumura, senior technologist (battery) at Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) talked about consumer electronics, while A.K. Srouji, principal battery scientist at Romeo Power, discussed battery cell trends for electric vehicles.

“We need a health supply chain for battery raw materials. If there is anything Intel can do, let us know” @intel #Cathodes2017

— Benchmark Minerals (@benchmarkmin) October 10, 2017

“There is a big shortage of lithium ion battery supply of high quality cells. ” – Romeo Power #cathodes2017

— Simon Moores (@sdmoores) October 10, 2017

The last Cathodes session was about responsible sourcing, a key issue for all markets involved in the electric car revolution.

> @rcs_global‘s Sustainable Sourcing workshop begins at #Cathodes2017 with ERG’s Tony Southgate and @cobalt27capital‘s @A_Milewski pic.twitter.com/khcfX3B4mg

— Benchmark Minerals (@benchmarkmin) October 10, 2017

As mentioned, the Investing News Network team had the chance to talk to experts and CEOs over the course of the conference. Stay tuned for our audio interviews!
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates.
Securities Disclosure: I, Priscila Barrera, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: American Manganese, Fortune Minerals and Nemaska Lithium are clients of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.