Shares in Ioneer Ltd (ASX: INR) have lifted today after the miner released its RIU Resources Round-up conference presentation.
The Ioneer share price is up 5.7%, trading at 37 cents per share at the time of writing, against broader losses this week.
Ioneer is an international mineral exploration company, focused on the Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Nevada, the United States, which is the subject of today's report. Geographically, the group has a business presence in Australia and North America.
Ioneer talks lithium at RIU Resources
In today's presentation, Ioneer made a bullish case about its lithium production capabilities.
The company told the conference it expected to be "the lowest cost lithium producer in the world with industry-leading margins", noting that its "strong project economics" were resilient across a wide range of commodity prices.
Whether or not that comes to fruition in a market increasingly saturated with mainstream attention remains to be seen. It's perhaps no coincidence that Ioneer was keen to impress its versatility outside of lithium as well, noting its "large resource base with expansion opportunities".
Ioneer also highlighted the company's close relationship with the US Government and battery producers, saying it to expected to be one of the first major lithium suppliers in the US due to its location near emerging battery mega factories. The US administration is attempting to lead a global shift towards renewable energy sources and wants to safeguard both its capacity to produce the materials needed and the eventual production of the final technology.
The company said it was "well-positioned" to benefit from an increased focus on supply chain security by the current US administration, noting the "strategic nature" of renewable energy assets.
Australia is attempting to encourage similar ambition through the Government's recent $1.5 billion advanced manufacturing fund that focusses on processing raw materials domestically.
Ioneer currently produces 22,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide and 174,400 tonnes of boric acid annually.
Ioneer share price snapshot
The Ioneer share price is another ASX lithium share that has gone through the roof over the past 12 months, rising more than 200%. It climbed four times higher between October 2020 and February this year before declining slowly since that point. The Ioneer share price is up 31% year to date.
