Geopolitics and Governance.

Boardroom Governance Newsletter #13 | June 2021

“According to Northvolt, it takes 109 kWh of energy to produce 1 kWh of battery.” Steve LeVine on the lithium-ion battery race.

There are three interesting corporate governance and geopolitical trends worth highlighting these days: 1) The “battery war” between China, Europe and the U.S., 2) the new forms of ‘corporate electoral innovation’ (a term coined by Joe Grundfest), and 3) The implications of the adoption of Bitcoin as new legal tender in El Salvador.

1) The “Battery War” between China, Europe and the U.S.

I have had an interest in this space since getting involved a few years ago in a dispute for lithium assets involving a Chilean NYSE-listed company, Canadian shareholders and Chinese acquirers. By that time, the Chinese government and Chinese companies (the lines are always blurry between them) had been making strategic investments and acquisitions around the world to secure their battery supply chain of critical minerals including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and others.