Delegates briefed on industry trends at Pb Online

A series of three online seminars organised by ILA and the Consortium for Battery Innovation provided delegates with a snapshot of the lead industry from leading analysts and commentators ranging from market developments to health and safety updates.

Analysts gave their verdict on current trends following the impact of the worldwide pandemic and ongoing movements in the battery market.

Neil Hawkes, Principal Analyst at CRU, informed attendees that “recycling remains king” in the lead industry, adding that lead remains a key battery raw material and should not be forgotten in the race to decarbonisation.

Battery market analyst Christophe Pillot, Director, of Avicenne Energy, predicted an ongoing increase in demand for lead batteries out to 2030 – from 415 GWh in 2020 to 490 GWh in 2030. He described macro-trends continuing to drive up demand for battery technologies including the shift to renewable energy and policymakers’ “adoption of green solutions” as well as population growth in cities.

Focusing on the US market, Farid Ahmed, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie reported that demand for lead remained strong, with a gap emerging between the amount of batteries available for recycling and the capacity of US secondary smelters.

Meanwhile in Asia, Huw Roberts of CHR Metals pointed to the “huge potential for electrifying fleets of two and three-wheel bikes which provide essential transport services within cities” adding that growth in demand for lead batteries will depend on the expansion of markets for e-bikes and e-trikes elsewhere in Asia.

Dr Andy Bush, Managing Director of ILA, thanked delegates for joining the seminars and said he hoped to see everyone face-to-face at the next Pb conference which will take place in 2023.

Read more on how ILA member companies continue to deliver reductions in employee lead exposures.