The beleaguered Quebec mining company, which is currently under creditor protection, needs the cash to finish construction of a mine, as well as an electrochemical processing plant in Shawinigan. CEO Guy Bourassa said the company has “no choice” but to seek out foreign money, given the dearth of interested Canadian investors. (Le Devoir)
Talking point: Nemaska, which harvests lithium from a massive deposit of the stuff in northern Quebec, isn’t sitting on a gold mine. Though lithium powers everything from cellphones to electric car batteries, a glut of the alkali has meant that prices are at a two-year low. Its woes are industry-wide; China’s Tianqi Lithium is teetering on a mountain of debt, while uber-producer Albemarle recently nixed plans for a US$1.5-billion expansion project.