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2027 SMM PGM Supply-Demand & Trading Summit

2026 SMM Australia Metals & Mining Investment Seminar

2026 SMM London Metals Forum

2026 SMM AICE Asia Aluminum Conference

ASEAN Solar Storage Summit 2026

SMM CCAE 2026 15th COPPER INDUSTRY ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Indonesia Critical Minerals Conference & Expo 2027

Shanghai Metals Expo 2026

SMM (11th) Annual Nickel Conference 2026 - Ni Cr Mn Stainless Steel Event

Indonesia Nickel & Cobalt & EV Industry Conference 2024

Aug battery material import/export data released, spodumene imports in physical content hit another record high, what about other segments? [SMM Special]

Today, SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate spot prices drifted higher compared with the previous trading day. The lithium carbonate 2701 contract opened higher at 135,000 yuan/mt today (hitting a high of 135,000 yuan), and after the open, bears quickly entered the market, sending prices drifting lower along the average price line throughout the morning session. In early trading, prices dipped to around 130,500 yuan/mt, and around midday they further slid to the intraday low of 128,100 yuan/mt. In the afternoon, prices consolidated on a weak note at low levels, fluctuating repeatedly around 129,000 yuan/mt, before stabilizing slightly near the close and ultimately closing down 3.2% at 128,900 yuan/mt, with open interest increasing by 9,614 lots. In the spot market, downstream dip-buying willingness was strong, while upstream lithium chemical plants continued to hold prices firm and hold back from selling spot orders. Overall, market inquiries and actual transactions were relatively active.

SMM Daily Review: Spot lithium carbonate prices drift higher on September 23

The grid connection ceremony for the 100 MW Gobustan PV power station project, invested and constructed by Universal Energy Co., Ltd., was held in Baku, Azerbaijan on the 16th.

[SMM PV News] Large PV Project Invested and Built by Chinese Enterprise in Azerbaijan Officially Connected to Grid

On September 21, the Jiaxing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau of Zhejiang Province issued a public notice regarding its intention to approve the environmental impact assessment documents for the high-efficiency new-structure cell and module technological transformation project of Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co., Ltd.

According to the notice, Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhejiang Jinko") plans to invest 179.2 million yuan to implement the high-efficiency new-structure cell and module technological transformation project within its existing factory buildings. The project will phase out outdated equipment such as texturing machines and tabbing and stringing machines, introduce advanced equipment for wet processing and patterning, and deploy digital and intelligent systems including MES, SAP, and AI, thereby achieving a comprehensive technological upgrade.

The factory undergoing this technological transformation by Zhejiang Jinko is located in Haining City, with existing capacity of 6 GW of crystalline silicon cells and 6 GW of cell modules.

After the implementation of the above technological transformation project, the existing capacity of 6 GW/a of cells and 6 GW/a of modules will be fully phased out, while the R&D activities for solar cells will be retained. The entire plant will then achieve an annual production capacity of 2.7 GW/a of high-efficiency new-structure cells and 4 GW/a of modules.

[SMM PV Flash] 12 GW capacity fully phased out! Jinko Solar's Zhejiang PV cell and module factory undergoes technological transformation!

On September 21, the Xishuangbanna Prefecture Ecology and Environment Bureau of Yunnan issued a public notice on the proposed review of the ecological and environmental impact assessment documents for the Bada PV power generation project.

The content shows that the Bada PV power generation project is located in Manyan Village, Manyanglong Village, and Manmengyang Village, Mengzhe Town, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. The total investment is estimated at 122.98 million yuan, the total land area is 36.95 hectares, the rated capacity is 30 MW, and the installed capacity is 35.9268 MWp. It is a tea-PV complementary project.

The construction period of the project is 6 months, and monocrystalline silicon cell modules with a peak power of 650 Wp are selected.

The construction unit of the project is Huaneng New Energy (Menghai) Co., Ltd., which is a holding subsidiary of Huaneng New Energy.

[SMM PV Flash] China Huaneng 30MW PV Project Announced!

Pylontech held a mass-production ceremony for its 588Ah and 601Ah large-capacity ESS cells at its Hefei base on Sep 21. Cumulative output has exceeded 100MWh, and the cells are already used in its new PyOcean 6.25MWh and 8MWh utility-scale systems, which have won orders and shipped. The 601Ah cell reaches 425.8Wh/L volumetric energy density, over 12,000 cycles and 96.5% energy efficiency. The Hefei line is 100% automated in core processes, with full lifecycle traceability for every cell.

[ESS: Pylontech's 588Ah/601Ah large-format ESS cells enter mass production]

CATL announced on Sep 22 that its new cell plant in Debrecen, Hungary has officially started trial production, with the first two lines of the initial cell building coming online after all preconditions were met. The project, its second battery plant in Europe, was announced in Aug 2022, broke ground in summer 2023, obtained its usage permit in Aug 2026, and has produced 537,000 battery modules since autumn 2024. Once fully built, the 100GWh base will be CATL's largest manufacturing site outside China, supplying leading European automakers with EV capacity in Hungary.

[Li-ion: CATL starts trial cell production at Hungary plant, planned capacity 100GWh]

[Second China-New Zealand NEV Dialogue Held in Beijing] On September 22, 2026, Wang Weiming, Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Chris Nees, Deputy Secretary of New Zealand's Ministry of Urban, Environmental, Regional and Transport, co-chaired the second China-New Zealand NEV dialogue in Beijing. Wang Weiming stated that establishing the NEV dialogue mechanism is a pragmatic measure to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of China and New Zealand. The two sides jointly held the first China-New Zealand NEV dialogue in Wellington, New Zealand, last December, laying an important foundation for industrial cooperation between the two countries. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is willing to continue strengthening dialogue and exchanges in the NEV field with New Zealand's Ministry of Urban, Environmental, Regional and Transport. Chris Nees stated that the NEV dialogue mechanism has established an important platform for policy exchanges between New Zealand and China in the NEV field, and New Zealand is willing to continue cooperation with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology under this mechanism. Heads of relevant departments and bureaus of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology attended the dialogue.

China, New Zealand Hold Second NEV Dialogue in Beijing, Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation

【Bridge Green and Hartree Sign USD 500M+ Recycled Lithium Supply Agreement, ~10,000 Tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Per Year】US battery recycling company Bridge Green Upcycle and commodity trader Hartree Partners have signed an exclusive marketing and supply agreement, under which Hartree will obtain exclusive marketing rights for lithium carbonate produced by Bridge Green, with annual offtake of approximately 10,000 tonnes. The agreement has an initial term of 8 years, renewable for 7 years, with an estimated value of USD 500 million to USD 1 billion at current market conditions, with first deliveries expected in 2028. Bridge Green's India recycling center commenced operations in Q2 2026, with an annual lithium battery processing capacity of approximately 7,200 tonnes.

Bridge Green, Hartree Sign USD 500M+ Recycled Lithium Supply Deal, ~10Kt/yr

【Guizhou Saili's CNY 120M Spent Lithium Battery Recycling Project Completes EIA Disclosure, Annual Processing Capacity of 25,000 Tonnes】Guizhou Saili New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. has published the draft environmental impact assessment for its "Saili Green Recycling and High-Value Utilization Industrial Base for Spent Lithium Batteries in Guiyang Comprehensive Bonded Zone." The project has a total investment of CNY 120 million and will construct two spent lithium battery recycling and dismantling lines and one cathode and anode material crushing line, with an expected annual processing capacity of 25,000 tonnes of spent lithium batteries and electrode materials.

Guizhou Saili's CNY 120M Battery Recycling Project Completes EIA Disclosure, 25Kt/yr

The Future of Indonesia NPI and Asian Stainless Steel

Indonesia ESDM New HPM Formula & Nickel Market Updates

2025-2026 Global PV Market Review & Outlook: Navigating Geopolitics and Policy Shifts

SMM FREE WEBINAR: Sulfur Market: 2025 Review and 2026 Outlook

Impact of Iran Situation on Aluminum & Zinc Chains: A China-Based Market Outlook

SMM Africa Webinar: Strategic Sharing & Insights of Copper, Aluminium, New Energy, and Iron Ore Market

Lithium Is Moving Again — What It Really Means for BESS Costs and Procurement Strategy

Asia Copper and Aluminum Scrap 2025 Market Review and 2026 Outlook

SMM Aluminium Year-End Review: Indonesia 's Value Chain Acceleration - Tighter Quotas, Refinery Ramps & the Path to Aluminum Powerhouse Status

SMM Online Webinar: Nickel in Turmoil - Decoding Indonesia’s Policy Evolution & The Future of Global Supply

Category	Price Description	Change	Date
Raw Materials	Battery-Grade Lithium Carbonate USD/tonne	+97.95	Sep 23
Raw Materials	Battery-Grade Lithium Hydroxide (Coarse Particles) USD/tonne	-87.1	Sep 23
Cathode material	China Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (Powder Compact Density 2.50g/cm³ min) USD/tonne	+21.43	Sep 23
Battery separator	China 9μm Wet-process Separator USD/m²	0	Sep 23
Electrolyte	Lithium Hexafluorophosphate USD/tonne	+285.54	Sep 23
Electrolyte	China Electrolyte (for LFP Battery) USD/tonne	-2.9	Sep 23

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