Bankability
Banks will not lend $500 million to build a mine unless they know someone will buy the dirt. An Offtake Agreement is a contract where a buyer (like an automaker or a magnet manufacturer) guarantees to buy a percentage of future production.
The Catch-22
Buyers don’t want to sign contracts until the mine is built, but the mine can’t be built without the contract. This is why “Strategic Partners” (like GM investing in Lithium Americas) are becoming the new norm to break this deadlock.