In this episode of Fast Forward, Andrea Hotter reports from the Fastmarkets Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference in Las Vegas, exploring how the sector is shifting from an EV‑led growth story to a broader ecosystem spanning energy storage, AI and national security. Featuring voices from the US Department of Energy, Rio Tinto and Lockheed Martin, the episode examines supply chain vulnerabilities, scale‑up challenges and the growing role of long‑term contracting and innovation in securing future supply. Tune in for a concise look at how geopolitics, demand shifts and industrial strategy are reshaping critical minerals markets. Fastmarkets is your source of critical minerals and battery raw materials market analysis, forecasting and price data, keeping you ahead of the competition. To discover more about our products, visit https://www.fastmarkets.com/podcast/

Betting on the battery economy

Fastmarkets’ Fast Forward podcast

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** Fastmarkets’ Fast Forward podcast

## Transcript

Las Vegas, a city built on big bets. For most people that means neon lights, casino floors and fortunes won or lost on the turn of a card. And yes, the Strip is still doing just fine. But right now the high stakes game in town isn't being played at the blackjack table, it's in the conference hall.

That's because more than 1100 industry leaders from 55 countries have descended on the desert for the Fastmarkets Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference. Miners, refiners, automakers, investors, traders and policymakers all in one place, all asking the same question, where does this industry go from here?

And it's quite a moment to be asking it. Lithium has been on a wild ride. Boom, correction, uncertainty, opportunity. Nickel, cobalt, graphite, manganese, rare earths. The entire battery and critical materials value chain is being repriced, rerouted and reimagined. Supply chains that look solid are being stress tested. Investment theses that seem certain are being rewritten.

There's something fitting about doing this in Vegas. It's a city that understands scale, speed and what it means to make a big call with serious money on the line. Because the decisions being made in the rooms here this week on supply, on investment, on policy won't just shape a market. They'll shape how the world moves, stores and powers itself in the years to come.

The biggest bets in Vegas this week aren't on the casino floor. They're on the future of supply chains. I'm Andrea Hotta and this is Fast Forward. This isn't just an industry story anymore. Governments are in the room and firmly at the table. Supply chain security, critical mineral strategies, trade policy. The politics of battery materials has never been more intense.

So given the role the US Department of Energy is playing in critical mineral strategy, from domestic production to securing long-term supply chains, I thought I'd talk to Audrey Robertson, the department's Assistant Secretary for Energy, about how Washington is approaching that challenge. Let's hear what she has to say. Assistant Secretary Robertson, welcome to Fast Forward Podcast. Great to have you here. Thank you so much, Andrea. I really appreciate being here.

Okay, so let's get stuck in. What do you think has changed most, in your view, about the battery materials ecosystem and the challenge that lies ahead for the sector? It's a really important question as it relates to the needs of the country, how at the Department of Energy, our mission, our statutory authority, and what Congress essentially funds us to do, how that's changed the way to do, how that's changed the way we look at batteries.

I think in the first Trump administration, you saw the beginning of real investments in taking battery technology to the next level. We've always had a big presence in the battery space from an R&D perspective, and that's been part of the Department of E...

Betting on the battery economy

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.

Betting on the battery economy

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.