Guoxuan's Shuinan lithium mine project EIA to be accepted, with annual mining scale of 1.8 million tonnes

On November 2, the Yichun Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau issued a notice of its intention to accept the EIA documents for the Shuinan mining area lithium project of Yichun Guoxuan Mining Co., Ltd. in Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province, for public disclosure from November 2 to November 13, 2026 — 10 working days in total. Located in Huaqiao Township, Yifeng County, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, the delineated mining area covers 0.2546 square kilometers, and the project is designed to mine 1.8 million tonnes per year of lithium ore (with associated ceramic clay in the same body).

Bicheng Technology's 10,000 t/a battery-grade lithium carbonate project EIA accepted and disclosed

Recently, the Hengyang Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau of Hunan Province released the EIA acceptance disclosure for the 10,000-tonnes-per-year battery-grade lithium carbonate production project of Hunan Bicheng Technology Co., Ltd. ("Bicheng Technology"). The project uses lepidolite as feedstock: after roasting with potassium-sodium sulfate mixed salts, it goes through leaching, filtration, impurity removal, lithium precipitation, centrifugation, drying, jet milling, and packaging to yield battery-grade lithium carbonate, with two 5,000 t/a lithium carbonate lines to be built.

Huasheng Lithium Battery: new 60,000-tonne VC project expected to be officially commissioned by end of 2026

At its Q3 2026 earnings briefing, Huasheng Lithium Battery said the new 60,000-tonne VC (vinylene carbonate) project is advancing steadily on schedule and is expected to be officially commissioned by the end of 2026. The timing of capacity ramp-up and reaching full production and sales will depend on market demand, customer certification progress, and equipment commissioning, with the company striving to reach full production and sales as early as possible.

FAW Hongqi G919 becomes first to carry EVE Energy's large cylindrical battery

Recently, the Hongqi G919 — FAW Hongqi's first mass-production off-road SUV — officially launched. It is the first model to carry EVE Energy's self-developed large cylindrical battery, with a capacity of 62.9 kWh, an all-electric range of 280 km and a combined range of 1,350 km, with recharging completed in 12 minutes.

LG Energy Solution Q3 operating profit up 25.7% YoY; energy storage order backlog about 160 GWh

LG Energy Solution announced Q3 results: operating profit of KRW 756.0 billion (US$564 million), up 25.7% YoY, driven mainly by strong North American ESS demand and recovering EV battery shipments. Revenue reached a record KRW 9.64 trillion, up 59% YoY and 27.6% QoQ. The company plans to lift North American energy storage capacity to over 70 GWh by end-2027, targeting over 50 GWh by end of this year, and raised its 2026 revenue growth guidance to +35–40% YoY.

720,000 tonnes: world's third-largest power battery company locks in battery material orders

POSCO Future M announced it has signed a "Future Cooperation Business Agreement" with LG Energy Solution (LGES), expanding the scope of cooperation to LFP cathode materials and artificial graphite anode materials, with a formal contract to be signed within the year. Under the agreement, POSCO Future M will supply a total of 720,000 tonnes of cathode and anode materials to LGES over seven years, from 2027 to 2033.

Lithium Battery Materials

Lithium carbonate:​ This week, domestic lithium carbonate prices fell first and then rebounded. Futures warehouse receipts increased somewhat this week, and with inventories nearing an inflection point, precious metals rebounded on Wednesday driven by the US election, which also gave the lithium carbonate market a boost. However, judging from the current situation, even if lithium carbonate rebounds, the strength appears unlikely to be large.

Latest lithium carbonate prices (November 5):

• Battery-grade 99.5%: RMB 94,000–98,000/tonne
• Industrial-grade 99.2%: RMB 89,000–93,000/tonne

(Note: the original text reads "9.4-9.8元/吨" for battery grade — evidently a typo for 万元/吨, i.e., RMB 94,000–98,000/tonne, consistent with the industrial-grade line.)

Ternary (NCM) cathode materials:​ Ternary material prices continued to fall this week. Although cobalt futures surged for 2–3 days, the ternary material market showed no obvious reaction, with prices still drifting lower. November scheduled output of ternary materials is expected to fall by about 5,000 tonnes month-over-month, and overall shipments near year-end are not ideal.

Latest ternary material prices (November 5):

• NCM 5-series, single-crystal: RMB 155,600–160,800/tonne
• NCM 8-series (811): RMB 165,100–175,300/tonne

LFP (lithium iron phosphate):​ LFP prices were capped by lithium carbonate prices this week and held broadly stable. From November production scheduling at material plants, output is generally stable; demand for premium products remains strong. Multiple LFP projects are under construction in Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hubei, but premium-capacity release is slow.

Latest LFP prices (November 5):

• LFP power type: RMB 41,100–42,100/tonne
• LFP storage type: RMB 41,200–42,200/tonne

Anode materials:​ Anode material prices changed little this week; in November, leading producers' orders remain saturated, with little month-over-month output fluctuation. Feedstocks: needle coke quotations have been stable recently, with some room for negotiation at individual producers; October needle coke output declined slightly, affected by falling coal-based needle coke production. Petroleum coke prices have limited room for further decline in the short term.

Latest anode prices (November 5):

• Low-end storage — artificial graphite anode: RMB 17,500–20,500/tonne
• Mid-end power — artificial graphite anode: RMB 24,300–34,700/tonne

Separators:​ Separator prices were stable this week. Recently, large overseas energy storage orders have landed, large-cylindrical cell models are ramping production, leading separator producers continue building overseas plants, and the share of high value-added coated products is rising. Enjie Co. posted strong Q3 results with sharply recovered single-quarter profits, and Senior (Xingyuan Material) is seeing overseas customer volume growth with fast-growing storage separator shipments.

Latest separator prices (November 5):

• Base film 9 μm / wet-process: RMB 0.6–1.15/m²
• Base film 16 μm / dry-process: RMB 0.35–0.5/m²
• Base film 9+3 μm ceramic-coated separator: RMB 0.9–1.35/m²

Electrolyte:​ Electrolyte prices fell slightly this week, pulled down by the recent decline in lithium carbonate prices. Shipments are normal, 6F (LiPF₆) demand is steady with prices also falling, and some additives are in shortage. Huasheng Lithium Battery's 60,000-tonne VC project is expected to be officially commissioned by end-2026.

Latest electrolyte prices (November 5):

• LiPF₆ electrolyte: RMB 97,000–103,000/tonne (domestic)
• Power NCM electrolyte: RMB 31,500–34,000/tonne
• Power LFP electrolyte: RMB 28,500–33,000/tonne
• Storage LFP electrolyte: RMB 27,500–32,000/tonne

Downstream Demand

Batteries:​ Lithium battery prices changed little this week. From November cell production scheduling, output is still slightly up month-over-month, with some leading companies continuing to grow, and many storage cells rushing exports before end-December. LG Energy Solution's Q3 operating profit rose 25.7% YoY, with an energy storage order backlog of about 160 GWh.

Latest lithium battery prices (November 5):

• Prismatic NCM power cells: RMB 0.44–0.5/Wh
• Prismatic LFP power cells: RMB 0.3–0.4/Wh
• Prismatic NCM (high-nickel) cells: RMB 680–790/kWh

NEVs:​ October 1–31: passenger car retail was 1.693 million units, down 25% YoY and up 5% MoM; NEV retail was 1.148 million units, down 10% YoY and up 6% MoM; monthly NEV penetration was 67.8%.

Starting next year, newly launched vehicles must undergo "two winters, one summer" testing, so next year's new model launches will be relatively fewer. Global automotive chip leader NXP has sent letters to distributors planning price adjustments for some distribution and direct-supply product lines, effective January 1, 2027 — the third price adjustment notice from NXP within 2026.