Alex Dorsch, chief executive of Australian lithium miner Chalice Mining, said on Wednesday the company was in talks with parties including global automakers to take a minority stake in the company, to secure funds to develop its Julimar nickel mine in Western Australia and possibly build a chemical plant.
"We have had initial discussions with major automakers in North America and Europe," Dorsch said, adding that the company was also in discussions with chemical makers and mining companies.
"Our goal is to do deals this year," he said on the sidelines of a commodities conference in Singapore.
The Julimar nickel project is one of the largest nickel sulphide discoveries in recent years, which also contains copper and palladium.
Compared to many remote mines in Western Australia, the mine's location just 70 kilometers north-east of the state capital, Perth, means it is close to infrastructure and a skilled workforce.
But the project is not expected to go into production until 2028.
Automakers including Volkswagen AG and Stellantis are investing directly in miners to secure supplies of the mineral vital for electric vehicle batteries.
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