Battery Material

Australian lithium producer Vulcan Energy signed a binding supply agreement with a Glencore subsidiary. Under the agreement, Vulcan will supply 36,000 to 44,000 tons of lithium hydroxide monohydrate from its Lionheart project on the German-French border. The eight-year contract covers approximately one-fifth of the company’s planned production during this period. This contract marks the final purchase agreement required for project financing of the first phase of the Lionheart project. Vulcan had previously signed supply agreements with Stellantis, Umicore, and LG Energy Solution. The total financing package for the first project phase is expected to be finalized in the fourth quarter of 2025. Construction of the project’s commercial facilities in Landau in the Palatinate and Frankfurt-Höchst is scheduled to follow. Vulcan plans to produce up to 24,000 tons of lithium hydroxide monohydrate annually at the two plants combined. According to the company, this amount is sufficient for approximately 500,000 electric vehicle batteries. Vulcan emphasizes that using deep geothermal energy supplies lithium and enables the generation of 275 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. Source:https://api.investi.com.au/api/announcements/vul/23a28720-a69.pdf

LS-L&F Battery Solution (LLBS) has begun trial production of battery precursor materials at a new 707-million-dollar facility in South Korea.

South Korean battery chemicals manufacturer Enchem has abandoned its plans for a 143-million-dollar electrolyte plant in the state of Tennessee.

The US government under Donald Trump apparently wants to acquire a stake of up to ten percent in Lithium Americas, the countryʼs largest mining operator.

ExxonMobil has announced an agreement to acquire technology, US locations, and select international offices from Superior Graphite.

Toyota is acquiring a 25-percent stake in LG Chemʼs cathode material production in Gumi, thereby meeting the current criteria of the United Statesʼ Inflation Reduction Act.

BASF has delivered its first batch of mass-produced cathode materials for semi-solid solid-state batteries to Chinese battery developer Beijing WELION New Energy Technology.

Silicon battery manufacturer Group14 Technologies has raised 463 million dollars through a financing round and acquired a battery active material (BAM) factory in Sangju.

Contemporary Amperex Technology has suspended operations at one of its most important lithium mines in Jiangxi, China. The company announced that the mining license for the Yichun project expired on August 9, but an extension is currently being applied for. Production is expected to resume immediately after approval. However, according to a Bloomberg News report, this will not be possible for at least three months. The Yichun mine has an annual capacity of approximately 46,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent. This corresponds to about three percent of the projected global production for 2025, according to Australian government data. Following the announcement, lithium carbonate futures on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange rose eight percent. Shares in several lithium producers in China and Australia increased by double digits. The move comes amid increased regulatory measures in China targeting overcapacity in the raw materials sector. Local authorities had previously ordered Zangge Mining, a producer, to shut down a mine in Qinghai. For months, the global lithium industry has struggled with oversupply and weaker electric vehicle growth. After reaching a record high in 2022, prices have plummeted by nearly 90 percent. Source:https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chinas-catl-suspends-operations-major-lithium-mine-seeks-new-license-2025-08-11/

Canadian lithium company Rock Tech Lithium has received approximately €250,000 in funding from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Research, Technology, and Space. The ELiSePro project aims to increase the yield of lithium in the converter process at the Guben site. As part of the project, Rock Tech Lithium will collaborate with RWTH Aachen University to compare various ion separation methods, such as nanofiltration, capacitive deionization, and lithium-ion sieves, in a systematic way. The processes will be evaluated from economic and technological perspectives for direct industrial application. The results are intended for publication and will be protected by patent law. Rock Tech’s planned lithium hydroxide refinery in Guben is expected to produce approximately 24,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually. This quantity would be sufficient to supply over 500,000 electric vehicles each year. Production is scheduled to begin in 2026. Third Round of Public Funding in a Few Months This new project follows funding of €800,000 from EIT RawMaterials and CAD 388,000 from the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund of Ontario. Both programs support projects in lithium processing and ore sorting. The new grant marks the third public grant awarded to Rock Tech in a few months. Rock Tech sees itself as playing a strategic role in ensuring the security of supply of critical raw materials, particularly in the context of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Source:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rock-tech-receives-further-research-funding-from-german-government-302527578.html