Venari Minerals (ASX:VMS) will be making its first appearance at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) this year, held from 1-4 March 2026 in Toronto, Canada.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, CEO Matt Healy says the company is aiming to show delegates why the Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada, is the “most significant new US lithium discovery” in recent years.
“PDAC is the world’s largest resources event and, being hosted in Toronto, is not far from the company’s US projects,” Healy says.
Red Mountain is hosted by the same age rocks as large claystone-hosted lithium deposits such as American Lithium Corporation’s (TSX-V:LI) 7.13 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) TLC Lithium Project and American Battery Technology’s (NASDAQ:ABAT) 15.8 million tonne LCE Tonopah Flats lithium resource.
Earlier this month, Venari delivered a maiden resource for Red Mountain, containing 500 million tonnes @ 1,139 parts per million (ppm) for 3.03 million tonnes of contained LCE.
The total estimate comprises a resource estimate of Red Mountain North of 91.6 million tonnes @ 1,618ppm lithium for 0.79 million tonnes LCE, and Red Mountain Central for 408 million tonnes @ 1,031 lithium for 2.24 million tonnes LCE.
Healy adds that the company will potentially have an announcement coinciding with PDAC depending on the timing.
“This month we have two developments in the pipeline – a revised JORC exploration target and metallurgical testwork results for producing a lithium carbonate product,” he says.
Venari, which has a market capitalisation of $21 million, is also focusing on securing approval for an exploration plan of operations by the Bureau of Land Management. Once secured, the company will begin drilling.
A bullish 2026 for lithium
This year’s PDAC event is set to bring together more than 27,000 attendees from over 125 countries for its educational programs, networking events and business opportunities.
Healy expects the broader themes and topics to be discussed will involve the US critical minerals ‘vault’, decarbonisation and development of downstream mineral processing in the western world.
“We have under-investment in exploration and resource development coming home to roost – so 2026 will be bullish, but with a side of volatility,” the CEO says.
Global lithium demand is expected to reach 531,000 tonnes by 2030 – up from 165,000 tonnes in 2023, according to the International Energy Agency. This surge is primarily driven by the electrification of transportation and the expansion of energy storage systems.
Similarly, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence projects demand to reach 2.4 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2030, nearly 1.8 million tonnes more than current 2025 levels.
According to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) December 2025 Resources and Energy Quarterly, global lithium consumption in 2026 is poised to remain largely driven by the rise in electric vehicle (EV) sales – mainly in China
As reported by Mining.com.au, PwC forecasts that nearly every second car sold will be a battery electric vehicle (BEV), leading to a demand increase for global batteries of 35% by 2030 through its Strategy&.
Demand for EVs is one of the many effects of a greater, global shift to electrification, as outlined in the Paris Agreement by leaders at the United Nations Climate Conference in 2015.
While EVs continue to drive lithium’s global demand, battery energy storage systems (BESS) are also likely to drive the market, according to DISR’s final quarterly forecast for 2025.
China has more than 101.3 gigawatts of BESS installed across thousands of projects nationwide, as previously reported. These projects are primarily lithium-ion based, offering a large contrast to the US’ 30 gigawatts of installed BESS capacity as of March 2025.
Lithium carbonate futures sank to ¥145,000 per tonne, to the over two-year high of ¥180,000 on 26 January, tracking the pullback in speculative metals as markets reconsidered the demand from power storage investments in major economies, as reported by Trading Economics.
This news comes as Chinese authorities lowered export rebates for battery producers from April 2025, driving manufacturers to front-run lithium orders.
Established in 1931, the annual convention has grown in size, stature, and influence, hosting more than 1,300 exhibitors and 700 presenters. Mining.com.au is a media partner of this year’s PDAC convention.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Venari Minerals
