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Premier Roger Cook spoke with Albemarle’s CEO before the closure was announced.

LithiumCommentsPremiumCook defends lithium support as US chief laments WA costs

Roger Cook urged Albemarle’s chief executive to at least keep the now-idled Kemerton lithium refinery open to a restart, days before the US giant axed 250 jobs blaming WA’s high business costs.

Simone Grogan

Underground workers employed by Barminco.

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
MiningCommentsPremium
The West Australian exclusive
FIFO workers with no degree making more than $20k a week

Specialised blue-collar workers on Western Australian mine sites are raking in more than experienced surgeons, thanks to a gold mining boom.

Adrian Rauso

LithiumPremiumAlbemarle chief puts hand out for Western lithium premium

Albemarle chief Kent Masters says the chemicals producer needs Western buyers to pay a premium for its lithium hydroxide to consider a restart of the Kemerton refinery it suddenly idled blaming high costs.

Simone Grogan

Albemarle had already called a halt to plans to expand its Kemerton plant before Thursday’s shock announcement.

MiningCommentsPremiumThree key reasons why Albemarle pulled the plug on Kemerton

Albemarle’s decision to put the refinery on care and maintenance will result in 250 local workers being made redundant, and comes despite a rebound in prices for the battery mineral.

Simone Grogan

Albemarle's Kemerton lithium hydroxide refinery.

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LithiumCommentsPremium
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Hundreds of jobs to go as Albemarle turns off lithium plant

Albemarle will mothball its last remaining lithium refining operations in WA and make 250 local workers redundant in a decision the US giant has pinned on Western countries’ inability to compete on costs.

Simone Grogan

Ken Brinsden ran PLS (formerly Pilbara Minerals) between 2016 and 2022.

MiningCommentsPremiumBrinsden’s Quebec lithium play hits up investors for $135m

Former PLS chief Ken Brinsden is pushing to raise up to $135 million to firm up a lithium deposit in Quebec against the backdrop of a turning fortune for the long-beleaguered battery mineral. 

Simone Grogan

PLS is among the WA miners racing to bring spodumene concentrate supply back online as the long “lithium winter” comes to an end and prices stage a sustained recovery.

MiningCommentsPremiumPLS secures $360m-plus lithium deal with Canmax

Lithium miner PLS has inked an offtake deal with a price floor baked in to effectively underwrite the restart of its idle processing plant in the Pilbara.

Adrian Rauso and Daniel Newell

Mineral Resources’ Wodgina lithium project in the Pilbara.

MiningPremiumAustralianSuper moves up to 9.34 per cent of MinRes

Australia’s biggest super fund has now nearly doubled its stake in MinRes since resuming buying in late-2025, having turned its back on the miner a year earlier because of its corporate governance failures.

Sean Smith

The PLS Pilgangoora plant in the Pilbara.

MiningCommentsPremiumMining boss declares horror ‘lithium winter’ finally over

PLS has joined the race among WA miners to bring spodumene concentrate production out of hibernation as a ‘lithium winter’ ends.

Adrian Rauso

Stockpiles at Bald Hill.

MiningPremiumLithium stocks tumble on prospect of supply glut

Local lithium stocks suffered self-inflicted wounds as Mineral Resources flagged a mining restart, Liontown dusted off major expansion plans and IGO signalled more growth at Greenbushes.

Adrian Rauso and Simone Grogan

Liontown Resources boss Tony Ottaviano.

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LithiumPremium
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Liontown eyes Kathleen Valley expansion

Liontown is dusting off plans to expand Kathleen Valley’s production capacity by more than 40 per cent, joining the race to capitalise on resurgent lithium prices.

Adrian Rauso and Simone Grogan

Lights on at the Mt Marion lithium mine.

MiningCommentsPremiumMinRes raring to ramp up lithium supply on price resurgence

Output from Mineral Resources’ two active lithium mines is rising and a restart of its mothballed Bald Hill operation could soon be on the way.

Adrian Rauso

Tianqi and IGO’s lithium refinery at Kwinana.

MiningCommentsPremiumSpluttering refinery still hurting IGO despite lithium rally

Recuperating lithium prices at the big Greenbushes mine in the South West have still not been enough to help IGO shake off lingering financial woes of a spluttering lithium hydroxide refinery in Kwinana. 

Simone Grogan

China is the world’s largest buyer of raw materials, but benchmark prices are mainly set in financial centres like London, Singapore and New York.

NickelPremiumChina to open nickel, lithium futures to foreign investors

China will allow overseas investors to invest in domestic nickel and lithium futures, part of Beijing’s efforts to boost its influence in global commodities markets.

Bloomberg News

Euroz Hartleys executive chair Andrew McKenzie, left, with managing director Tim Bunney.

MarketsPremiumEuroz Hartleys profit races higher on mining recovery

The listed stockbroker flagged a doubled interim profit of about $13.84 million, well in excess of the $10.3m it made for the whole of the 2025 financial year.

Sean Smith

Albemarle's Kemerton lithium hydroxide refinery.

LithiumPremiumSite director at Albemarle’s Kemerton lithium plant exits

Albemarle’s highest ranking operations manager in the State has abruptly stepped away from running the US giant’s anchor lithium processing operations in the South West.

Simone Grogan

Simon Trott.

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MiningCommentsPremium
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Rio Tinto and Glencore back in the ring for megadeal talks

Rio Tinto and Glencore are back in negotiations for a merger that would create the world’s biggest mining company.

Simone Grogan and Adrian Rauso

The open pit mining deposit at Liontown Resources' Kathleen Valley

MiningWA miners surge again as lithium revival amps up

WA’s four main lithium stocks collectively gained $2.8 billion on Tuesday, with hype building for the battery metal’s prolonged price recovery.

Adrian Rauso

Shares in Rio Tinto hit an all-time high on Monday as a big bet on lithium made by Simon Trott’s predecessor, Jakob Stausholm, looks to be paying off. 

MiningCommentsPremiumFormer Rio Tinto CEO vindicated as stock reaches record

Shares in Rio Tinto hit an all-time high on Monday, as a big bet on lithium made by Simon Trott’s predecessor pays off.

Adrian Rauso

The Bald Hill lithium mine is located approximately 50km south east of Kambalda in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.

MiningCommentsPremiumFive WA mines to watch in 2026

Among the hundreds of active or idle mines dotted across the State, there are five facing a monumental year. Thousands of jobs and vast sums of taxpayer money are at stake.

Adrian Rauso

A screeching rally has the precious metal on track for its best annual performance since 1979, according to Bloomberg data.

MarketsPremiumWA gold miners pull through for whiplashed investors in 2025

WA gold miners and a surprise lithium revival story have played a star role for mum and dad investors during a tumultuous year on the Aussie share market. 

Simone Grogan

Lithium-rich brine dries in an evaporation pond next to mounds of salt bi-product at a lithium mine in the Atacama Desert on August 24, 2022 (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

MiningWA’s main lithium rival strikes major deal

Chile’s Codelco and SQM completed a landmark deal aimed at boosting lithium extraction from the South American country’s Atacama Desert.

Maria Clara Cobo

The Greenbushes lithium mine

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Mining
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DWER wants ‘proactive’ dust control at ‘high risk’ mine

Potential risks posed by dust from the massive Greenbushes lithium operation are ‘high’, but the State Government’s regulator believes it can be managed.

Adrian Rauso

Lithium concentrate from the Greenbushes mine will continue to be hauled out of the site by road.

MiningCommentsPremiumGreenbushes mine owner rules out rail reopening

After co-funding a feasibility study, Talison has ruled that the reopening of the Greenbushes-to-Bunbury rail line ‘is not economically feasible at this time’.

Sean Smith