AmeriLithium's Australia Project Situated to Exploit China's Market
LAKE TAHOE, NV, April 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AmeriLithium (OTC Bulletin Board: AMEL; "AmeriLithium" or "the Company") is pleased to underscore that the Company's recently acquired Western Australia project is ideally situated to take advantage of the growing demand for Lithium in China's emerging market.
According to a Keynote Address by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) Outlook 2010 Conference, the pace of recovery from the global downturn will vary widely by global region. While growth in most advanced economies will be historically sluggish – 2% in 2010 and 2.5% in 2011(1) – growth in Asia is expected to reach 8.5% in 2010,(2) led by key emerging Asian economies, particularly China. The IMF points to a central driver behind Asia's ongoing economic strength and growth in the form of domestic demand, which has already benefitted the economy of Australia through demand for commodity exports.(1)
The ongoing prospect of strong commodity income is being met with major investment in Australia's resource sector.(1) Counted among those resource investments is the exploration for Lithium to feed the growing demand of China's emerging market. As such, the geographical location of AmeriLithium's Western Australia Lithium plays is ideal for filling the role of Lithium exporter to China's market.
China clearly leads the emergence of the Asian markets, managing an 8.7% rise in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009, with 10.7% growth in Q4 of that year.(3) As China's market continues to grow, so will its demand for Lithium to power its ever-expanding consumer electronics industry that manufactures such products as cameras, laptops, games consoles and mobile phones, of which roughly 600 million were produced by China in 2009. Adding to the demand for Lithium are the stimulus measures of China's government, which helped retail sales of consumer goods grow by 16% and auto sales jump by 46.2% in 2009.(3)
Having taken over the US in 2009 as the world's largest auto maker with sales of 13.6 million vehicles, China has now announced plans to begin selling an electric car in the US by the end of 2010.(4) The car in question would be built by BYD Co., one of China's fastest-growing independent auto makers. BYD is also the world's second-largest producer of Lithium-ion batteries, with over a decade of battery-making experience. The company's founder and chairman says BYD's Lithium-ion batteries use an iron-phosphate technology that is chemically stable and thus "inherently safe." BYD already sells a plug-in electric hybrid car in China.(5)
"The Lithium Chase," a March 9, 2010 New York Times article, pointed out that, while about 25% of all Lithium produced is currently used for energy storage in smaller electronic goods, that proportion stands to sharply increase depending on the success of electric vehicles (EVs). EVs favor Lithium-ion batteries for their capacity to hold their charge longer while carrying more energy with less weight than batteries using other materials. The New York Times article also cited a report by investment adviser Byron Capital Markets that predicted a 40% increase in demand for Lithium from 2009 to 2014. In turn, the world's four largest Lithium producers – operating in Chile, Argentina and/or Australia – have indicated they are planning the expansion of long-running projects as warranted by future Lithium demand.(6)
Matthew Worrall, AmeriLithium's CEO, commented on the advantages that the Company's Western Australia project represents saying, "We're excited to suddenly find ourselves neighbors with a country that not only already relies on Australian commodity exports, but one whose manufacturing economy accounted for about a third of global Lithium demand in 2008. China's multi-billion dollar market represents an unparalleled opportunity for Lithium export, and as demand for Lithium from Asian markets increases, Australia – and AmeriLithium – finds itself in an ideal geographical location to benefit from meeting that demand through Lithium exports."
AmeriLithium's three Australian plays cover 43,000+ acres around and abutting Lake Dumbleyung, where a 2007-2008 survey for Reward Minerals Ltd reported the presence of salt lake brine with a Lithium concentration of 530 mg/liter(7) (by way of comparison, the only US-based Lithium producing plant – operated by Chemetall Foote Corporation in Nevada – originally began operation at 400 mg/liter). Lying within Western Australia's South West Mineral Field, the AmeriLithium plays represent an area identified as benefitting from a pro-mining Australian government stance and legislation while being rich in brine deposits and having established infrastructure to support the transport of extracted Lithium.
More information on AmeriLithium's Western Australia Lithium plays, and additional information regarding the Company, can be found at AmeriLithium's corporate website www.ameriLithium.com along with the facility to sign up for regular news updates.
ABOUT LITHIUM: Lithium is a lightweight metal used in a wide range of consumer products the world over: the medical industry uses Lithium as an anti-depressant; industrial uses include glass, ceramic and porcelain enamel manufacture; the aviation industry uses Lithium in alloys. Of particular interest is the use of Lithium for battery production, which has expanded significantly in recent years due to rechargeable Lithium batteries being used increasingly in electrical tools and in the rapidly expanding portable electronics market. Furthermore, the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles are being designed to use high-capacity Lithium-ion batteries as environmentally-friendly fuel alternatives while the Obama administration has introduced $5 billion in funding and incentives for the development of a secure, domestic battery industry with special focus on Lithium-ion batteries.
ABOUT AMERILITHIUM: AmeriLithium is a publicly traded (NASD OTC BB: AMEL), mining company committed to progressively developing into one of the leading American players in the global Lithium industry. The Company is headquartered in Lake Tahoe, NV. AmeriLithium has amassed a Lithium portfolio consisting of ~710,000 acres, including a Nevada-based project adjacent to the only Lithium producing plant in the US, a large project in Alberta, Canada, and a project in Western Australia.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, |
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AmeriLithium Corp. |
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Matthew Worrall, Chief Executive Officer |
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Contact: |
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AmeriLithium Corp. |
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297 Kingsbury Grade |
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Lake Tahoe |
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Douglas County |
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NV 89449-4470 |
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Phone: |
(775) 996-2210 |
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Fax: |
(775) 996-2212 |
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Email: |
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INVESTOR RELATIONS: |
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1-888-982-6374 |
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Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. AmeriLithium Corp. bases these forward-looking statements on current expectations and projections about future events, based on information currently available. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release may also include statements relating to AmeriLithium Corp.'s anticipated financial performance, business prospects, new developments, strategies and similar matters. AmeriLithium Corp. disclaims any obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.
(1) International Monetary Fund website (Murilo Portugal, First Deputy Managing Director), March 2, 2010
(2) International Monetary Fund website (John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director), March 22, 2010
(3) New York Times website, March 6, 2010
(4) New York Times, B3, Jan. 13, 2010
(5) BYD Auto website, Jan. 12, 2009
(6) New York Times website, March 10, 2010
(7) Reward Minerals Ltd Press Release, Aug. 26 2009
SOURCE AmeriLithium Corp.
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