Episode 134: Rio Tinto (Marnie Finlayson & Grant Donald)

My guests from Rio Tinto are Marnie Finlayson, MD of Battery Materials, and Grant Donald, GM of Strategic Marketing, Minerals. Topics: RT’s battery materials strategy Being a leader in the green economy Producing lithium from mine waste in California The Rincon project in Argentina The battle for lithium talent Supporting local communities Development timelines Keeping up with technological change RT’s view of the market going forward RT’s thoughts on where their lithium will go The status of the Jadar project in Serbia Price Being a leading force in the energy transition How does RT’s battery business look in five years? Rapid Fire In my closing remarks I discuss Elon Musk’s tweet about getting in to lithium production. Lithium remains Elon and Tesla’s Achilles’ heel