Major Australian Lithium Producer Merging with Chilean Brine Explorer

By Dave Brown – Exclusive to Lithium Investing News

Last Thursday, a binding letter agreement was executed to combine Salares Lithium Inc. (TSXV:LIT) and Talison Minerals Pty Ltd to strategically merge their respective lithium assets and create the world’s largest, publicly traded lithium production and exploration company.  Effectively the merger should provide an attractive diversified mix of lithium mineral and brine assets in both Australia and Chile, offering a combination of the Australian -ased lithium minerals production with promising relatively low cost lithium brines exploration properties located in Chile.

Lithium investors will be extremely interested in observing this development as Talison has announced immediate operational expansions are required in production to satisfy substantial growth in lithium demand from Chinese battery producers, for whom the company is the primary supplier. The demand has largely been driven by government policies encouraging alternative energy vehicles in pursuit of reduced reliance on oil imports, energy security and environmental objectives.

Unanimous support from both boards of directors to endorse the transaction appears to indicate an excellent fit and strong cooperation between the corporate cultures.  Following completion of the regulatory procedures and filing requirements, the merged group will be known as Talison Lithium Limited with offices in Perth, Australia and Vancouver, Canada.  The Plan of Arrangement is anticipated to be implemented by the end of September, 2010, subject to obtaining all necessary approvals and satisfaction of other conditions.  The expectation is for Talison Lithium to become a publicly traded company listed on Toronto Stock Exchange, subject to approval and customary merger conditions.

First Quarterly Results Reported for Lithium Americas Corp.

Last week Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX:LAC), reported financial quarterly results for the period ending May 31, 2010. As this was the first official reporting period since the inception of the company comparative results were not available. Key operational highlights and updates since February included theacquisition of an additional 6,477 hectares, increasing the land package associated with its principal property to 43,451 hectares, and increasing its overall land package in Argentina to 125,704 hectares. The company has also completed a high-resolution seismic tomography survey over its main property area located within the Cauchari salt lake reconstruct the salt lake basin and identify the brine bearing aquifers.

Performing preliminary air lift tests in reverse circulation holes and in diamond drill holes have measured rates that indicate the aquifer is thick, and has high yields allowing for the extraction of brine from the aquifer. The drilled reverse circulation holes have also approximately doubled the width at approximately 40 percent greater depth of the initial lithium/potassium brine area that was used in calculating the inferred resource estimate.  The quality of the concentration in one of the drill results also recorded the highest lithium brine concentration value to date on the exploration program with 946 milligrams per litre lithium over a length of 17 metres.

Largest South Korean Chemicals Manufacturer Considers Lithium Battery Plants in China and Europe

LG Chem Chief Executive Officer Kim Bahn-suk told analysts and reporters last Friday in Seoul that the company was thinking of building lithium-ion battery plants for electric vehicles in China and Europe.  A subsidiary of the company launched a ground-breaking ceremony for a $303 million battery plant in Holland, Michigan, to supply batteries for General Motors, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) Focus, and Eaton Corp (NYSE:ETN).

Toyota Announces Electric RAV4 Plans

A very preliminary announcement was released on Monday from Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM) regarding the development of an electric version of the RAV4.  The initiative between Toyota and Tesla Motors outlines an aggressive schedule for bringing the RAV4 EV to market by 2012.  This would significantly accelerate Toyota’s plug-in electric vehicle portfolio plans to offer an all-electric small SUV, an all-electric small urban commuter car, and a plug-in version of the Toyota Prius on the market in 2012.  This production and marketing timeline for the electric RAV4 is the most rapid deployment on a specific Toyota product that the company has ever developed before for any vehicle, including traditional internal combustion motor models.