Fresh off its deal to buy Millennial Lithium, Vancouver’s Lithium Americas is deepening its presence in Argentina through the investment in the Toronto miner. Lithium Americas now owns about 18 per cent of Arena Minerals’ issued and outstanding common shares on a non-diluted basis. (The Logic)

Talking point: Lithium has become so valuable it’s been dubbed “white gold” in an area known as South America’s Lithium Triangle—and this Vancouver company seems to be cornering more of the market nearby. Buying Millennial Lithium was no small task, given it was being bid up by two Chinese companies (although one of the bidders, Ganfeng, also owns the majority of a joint venture with Lithium Americas). A lawyer that worked on that deal has said that increasing demand for electric vehicles has created a “Chinese-driven mandate to secure lithium supplies.” Lithium Americas seems to be benefiting from the EV transition, with shares up more than 223 per cent this year amid the multimillion-dollar agreements. It’s not the only Canadian firm getting attention: yesterday, Standard Lithium announced a US$100-million investment to grow its Arkansas project.