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In 2006, according to the United States Geological Service (USGS), the United States was the leading consumer of lithium minerals and compounds and the leading producer of value-added lithium materials. In addition to lithium carbonate, Silver Peak is one of the worlds leading producers of lithium hydroxide. The U.S. government recently awarded Chemetall-Foote $ 28.4 million USD to upgrade and expand the Silver Peak / Clayton Valley lithium brine mine as part of a program to in an effort to supply sufficient lithium for the next generation of electric vehicle batteries. (Resource World, Vol. 8, Issue 1)
-According to the USGS, overall demand for lithium is growing at a rate of 4-5% per year.
-Over 60% of mobile phones and 90% of laptop computers feature Lithium Ion batteries.
-The automotive market alone is projected to reach $337 million in 2012, and $1.6 billion in 2015.
-Demand for lithium destined for battery usage is predicted to grow by 20% per year.
-The worldwide market for rechargeable lithium batteries is estimated to be worth over $6 billion by 2012.
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