The Global Lithium Podcast Episode 228: Rene LeBlanc
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Jan 23, 2026 Rene LeBlanc, VP of Commercial and Product Strategy at Lithium Americas and chemical engineer with 20+ years in lithium processing, conversion, and markets. He discusses how the industry evolved over two decades. They cover China’s long rise, the return of LFP, processing flowsheets vs modern needs, Thacker Pass timing, and why concentrate cost dominates economics.
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Two-Decade Lithium Career Path
- Rene LeBlanc traced his path from chemical engineering to lithium over two decades.
- He worked at FMC, Tesla, and has spent nearly a decade at Lithium Americas.
One Project Won't Fix Supply Fast
- Scaling North American supply to global demand will take years despite political will.
- Thacker Pass at 40,000 tpa equals only ~3% of current market, Rene LeBlanc emphasizes.
Plan For Realistic Timelines
- Expect low-hanging resource opportunities to be exhausted and plan project timelines realistically.
- Rene LeBlanc warns permitting, funding, and timelines limit any country's ability to rapidly add massive capacity.