A potential takeover between IGO and Western Areas could still be on the table after the companies offered the market their first update in weeks that due discussions were continuing.
Australia's first lithium hydroxide refinery at Kwinana has commenced production five years after the start of construction, but with full capacity still 18 months away.
Tianqi Lithium has lodged $39 million with the state's courts after a stay on payments to contractor MSP Engineering was granted, as Tianqi awaits an appeal over a March ruling.
Embattled Chinese mining company Tianqi Lithium has appealed a court order that it repay a $38.8 million debt to Perth-based engineering consultancy MSP Engineering.
International insulation contractor Kaefer Integrated Services has launched legal action against Perth-based consultancy MSP Engineering over a $1 million debt.
The state's Supreme Court has ruled that Chinese-owned Tianqi Lithium should have to repay its $35.8 million debt to Perth-based engineering consultancy MSP Engineering.
Nickel miner IGO has completed an equity raising associated with its 49 per cent acquisition of Tianqi Lithium, giving it a stake in the Greenbushes lithium mine and Kwinana refinery.
Nickel miner IGO has announced a transformational deal to buy 49 per cent of Tianqi Lithium, giving it a minority stake in both the Greenbushes lithium mine and the Kwinana lithium refinery.
Perth-based contractor MACA is in talks to buy Downer's mining services division, while IGO is reportedly considering a $2 billion deal with China's Tianqi Lithium Corporation.
Chemical producer Coogee and corporate advisory firm Lisle Group have joined more than a dozen mining and engineering firms on a state government taskforce targeting future battery industries.
Perth-based lithium producer Altura Mining has been placed in receivership after the ASX-listed company was unable to refinance its debt, placing 100 jobs at risk.
Wesfarmers and SQM are progressing a sharpened up lithium refinery project in Kwinana, with a $600 million proposal heading to development assessment next week.
The state government has allocated $3.8 million for studies into reopening the rail line to the Greenbushes lithium mine and building unloading facilities at Kwinana and Bunbury.
An array of companies, from blue chip miners to SMEs, is pursuing downstream processing of WA's battery minerals, despite the sharp downturn in the lithium market.
Albemarle Corporation could have the whip hand in a further consolidation of Western Australia's lithium industry, as its partner in the Greenbushes mine, Tianqi Lithium, seeks to sell a stake in its Kwinana refinery and/or the mine itself.
The conditions that have slowed growth in WA's lithium sector won't last forever and there are some great opportunities for companies taking the long-term view.
A local access management firm has entered a partnership with Swedish scaffolding manufacturer HAKI to provide a platform for expansion into the oil and gas industry.
OPINION: Western Australia's lithium boom, which ran out of steam last year, will not be returning soon given the nationwide slowdown in China as it battles to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
A decision by Wesfarmers and partner SQM to pause investments at the Mount Holland mine and Kwinana refinery bring to about $3 billion the value of lithium projects deferred in Western Australia during the past year.
There's no bad news in Western Australia's battery industry, Energy Minister Bill Johnston says, shrugging off the deferral of major projects in recent months.
Kalium Lakes has awarded three gas infrastructure contracts valued at a combined $20 million, while Tianqi Lithium selected a contractor for $5 million worth of works.
The state government has factored in lithium hydroxide and carbonate into its royalty arrangement for lithium producers, which it claims will encourage downstream processing and manufacturing.
Tianqi Lithium has officially started operations at the first lithium hydroxide refinery built outside China, with the company aiming to achieve practical completion of stage one of the Kwinana plant next month, while works on stage two have been put on hold.
Nearly 160 of EC&M's 400 employees will be back at work in September, with administrators progressing deals with major clients since the business hit the wall last week.
A $1 billlion-plus lithium refinery planned for the Pilbara has been put on hold and a second refinery under construction in the South West has been reduced in size as local company Mineral Resources and its US partner restructure their joint venture after a sharp fall in lithium prices.
Construction costs for many lithium refining projects have been revised up in the past year as proponents rethink the scale and scope of their developments, with Tianqi Lithium's Kwinana project the latest to run higher than forecast.
The state is developing from a gas exporter to produce a range of energy commodities and technological innovations, with energy exports to potentially hit $50 billion in a decade.
A decreasing office vacancy rate and improving fundamentals in the wider economy have failed to halt the slide in confidence in Western Australia's commercial property sector.
