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Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
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Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#52If Thailand has it, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia probably do too. Edit: After checking on a map, probably Myanmar/Malaysia.
Given where the province is I would only speculate for Myanmar and Malaysia.
Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#53If Thailand has it, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia probably do too. Edit: After checking on a map, probably Myanmar/Malaysia.
Myanmar has the most bountiful gem mines in the world. I visited in 2019 and there were many shops with piles of ruby, jade, sapphire, even amber. They're already pretty specialized in mining and have little qualms about razing mining areas so would be able to take quick advantage - if their civil conflict allows.
Well, it’s definitely not ideal. But if history is anything to go by, then either they themselves take it and maybe by killing each other; or someone from outside will come and do the killing for them and then take it all and also sell some freedoms while they’d be at it.
Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#54How more stories do we need about finding lithium and "rare" earth metals being found before people realize they're not all that rare and we can stop reporting on it as if it's special?
Rare is not what you think it is in that context. Wikipedia article would be instructive as to why
Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#55Looks like existing worldwide reserves are 26M tons [0], so this is a big find. [0] https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2023/mcs2023-lithium.pd...
The second sentence of the article states, "The find means Thailand has the third largest lithium resources, behind Bolivia and Argentina, but it is not yet clear how much can be exploited commercially." If Thailand has 14M and there are two others with >14M then total known resources must be at least 42M tons, no?
Reserves are only defined when you also state a price. It's not a free number.
Those people are probably using different prices, and not communicating them.
Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#56Looks like existing worldwide reserves are 26M tons [0], so this is a big find. [0] https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2023/mcs2023-lithium.pd...
That link says 98M tonnes towards the end, unless I’m misreading
Right, Thailand hasn't just opened 14Mt reserves, rather resources. A reserve is a resource that you're prepared to exploit. But see also:
Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
Deposits appear sufficiently distributed to not cause geopolitical conflicts [1]. This is not oil. Lithium is relatively abundant, and a mineral to be reused, not energy to be consumed once through. To keep it conflict free, we must continue to discover reserves and drive down the value of the commodity. No one goes to war over say, salt, in the 21st century (at least not yet!). [1] https://lithiumfuture.org/map.html
It won't cause conflict because China will just come in and take it. Look at what they've done with the silkroads through Laos/Cambodia. "Here, take a 'free' hydrodam on your river and we will just take some land and electricity."
Sounds like a trade to me. Predatory tho if the country is very poor and easily exploited. But as someone from a country that loves to invade others for resources I’d take predatory trading over military force any day.
Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Deposits appear sufficiently distributed to not cause geopolitical conflicts [1]. This is not oil. Lithium is relatively abundant, and a mineral to be reused, not energy to be consumed once through. To keep it conflict free, we must continue to discover reserves and drive down the value of the commodity. No one goes to war over say, salt, in the 21st century (at least not yet!). [1] https://lithiumfuture.org/map.html
It won't cause conflict because China will just come in and take it. Look at what they've done with the silkroads through Laos/Cambodia. "Here, take a 'free' hydrodam on your river and we will just take some land and electricity."
That's a whole lot better than the deal from the US, frankly.
Re: Thailand discovers nearly 15M tonnes of lithium
#59Oil is the standard example. I forgot what the exact peak oil production years were supposed to be, but they went something like this:
In 1880 peak oil was expected to be 1910. In 1910 it was 1940. In 1940 it became 1970. Etc.
Basically we kept finding more and more as technology and practical prospecting experience advanced.