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Sigma Lithium CEO won't sell the company at current lithium costs

Sigma Lithium's. chief executive won't offer the miner at existing lithium cost. levels and is concentrating on its nearterm expansion plans,. she informed in an interview.

The Vancouver-based company, whose primary service is a difficult. rock lithium job at Brazil's Grota do Cirilo, started. searching for possible purchasers about a year back. Ever since,. costs for lithium, a metal key for electrical car batteries,. have been pressured by slower than anticipated EV adoption. worldwide together with overproduction in China.

CEO Ana Cabral-Gardner stated her focus was now on expanding. operations.

At these rates, we are not selling, she stated.

I am building a service, so I'm doubling capability, she. included.

Cabral-Gardner said last July that adviser Bank of America. had actually been holding meetings for several months with. celebrations thinking about acquiring Sigma, and the company later on. said it had actually gotten proposals from the energy, automobile, batteries. and lithium refining markets.

As well as lower prices, Sigma has weathered a variety of. executive shake-ups, including the firing early in 2015 of. previous co-CEO Calvyn Gardner, whom Cabral-Gardner is separating,. and a series of lawsuits in Brazil and the United States.

Cabral-Gardner said Bank of America was still leading a. strategic review of the business, but she decreased to offer. details.

We began a tactical evaluation, and we were like, fine,. let's see if it makes any sense to do anything, she said. It. was regrettable we did it versus massive headwinds of this. price.

In the meantime, she said Sigma was aiming to double in size. by next year.

The company stated today it plans to increase production. to 520,000 metric lots each year by 2025 from 270,000 metric lots. presently, investing $100 million to add a 2nd production line. at its Greentech Plant in Brazil.

Brazil, which greatly depends on biofuels, exports most of. its lithium.

The company's shares rose on news of the plan to raise. output.

Sigma concurred in 2021 to provide lithium to LG Energy Option. , although last month the South Korean company. started arbitration over what it deemed breaches of the offer. Sigma has denied the allegations. It also inked a supply offer. last year with product trader Glencore.

(source: Reuters)