South Korea Takes Lead in Lithium Power Battery Supremacy - Seite 2

With his daring feat, Elon Musk has opened up a new frontier of competition in the same way that he did with electric vehicles.

Already, a host of companies, buoyed by lower battery manufacturing prices and the intense demand for renewable energy have started working on similar large-scale projects across the globe.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that in 2017, developers will install 1650 megawatts per hour, of new battery power which is four times the total amount for 2016. Places like South Australia, which have little access to energy resources are increasingly reliant on battery energy, and will be key in driving the market for super-batteries like the one installed by Tesla.

MINERS HAVING A FIELD DAY 

This unique climate has created a significant opportunity for all lithium companies. One of the early movers is NRG Metals who operating in Argentina.

The company that has become a stand out among the near term lithium mining companies. It is especially attractive based on its early lead in property and attracting top management.

The COO of NRG, Jose Gustavo de Castro, was country manager for Orocobre in Argentina until 2015. He helped to grow the operation of that company from 10 employees to 800 in construction and about 200 people in operations. He is also credited with the exploration and development of Orocobre's Oraloz lithium project into commercial production.

Others on the management team come from lithium miners Lithium Americas and Galaxy Resources.

NRG Metals has begun putting its lithium strategy to work in the Puna Region of Argentina, considered one of the most productive of all regions in Argentina.

NRG Metal's properties include options in Salar Escondido, which is massive at 29,180 hectares (112 square miles) and Hombre Muerto, which consists of 3287 hectares (12.7 square miles).

The Hombre Muerto property alone is a good reason to consider this company, based on the fact that it shares the same salar as a lithium carbonate production facility owned by giant lithium producer FMC.

However, Salar Escondido is what could propel this company to "great heights". NRG's management team has high expectations for the salar, and drilling is in progress now to prove its value.

While it is one of the relatively new entries to South American lithium development, NRG Metals has rapidly advanced two significant projects, making it one of the best bets in the region for near-term production.