Battery Material

South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution has signed a purchase agreement with Australian chemical company WesCEF for up to 85,000 tons of lithium concentrate for production of cathode material.

Between 2025 and 2029, Panasonic Energy will receive up to 10,000 tons of synthetic graphite from Australian battery material manufacturer Novonix for electric vehicle battery production.

LG Chem has signed a long-term cathode materials supply contract with General Motors (GM) worth approximately 18.8 billion US dollars. The deal runs from 2026 to 2035.

US battery recycling and materials provider Cirba Solutions collaborates with EcoPro, a global manufacturer of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries based in South Korea.

LG Chem has started construction of a cathode plant in the United States. The plant is being built in Montgomery County, Clarksville, Tennessee, and will produce cathode materials for use in electric vehicles for the North American market. Production volume halved since initial announcement LG Chem is investing approximately US$1.6 billion in the first phase of the project. The plant is expected to reach an annual capacity of 60,000 tons of cathode material, making it the largest of its kind in the US. It should be noted that these figures have been halved compared to the original announcement of the plant in November 2022. At that time, a capacity of 120,000 tons and an investment of $3.2 billion were planned. Production to start in 2026, customers already secured The plant is scheduled to start mass production of NCMA cathode material in 2026. LG Chem plans to diversify its product portfolio with future generations of cathode materials and expand its production capacity. According to the company, it has already secured major contracts for the supply of cathode materials in North America, including a 950,000-ton contract with General Motors and a contract worth approximately $2.5 billion with Toyota. Sources: https://www.lgcorp.com/media/release/27138 https://www.lgcorp.com/media/release/25594

South Korean battery materials manufacturer EcoPro BM has signed a 34-billion Dollar contract with Samsung SDI for the supply of lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) cathode material from 2024 to the end of 2028.

Battery materials specialist Sila has begun to build out its first automotive-scale production facility in Moses Lake, Washington State, where the company’s “Titan Silicon” anode will be produced from 2025.

Under its new ‘Mobil Lithium’ brand, US oil company ExxonMobil is aiming to become a leading supplier of lithium for the electric vehicle industry by 2030.

LG Chem, together with LX Hausys, has developed a material that can withstand a flame of 1,500 degrees Celsius for more than 20 minutes.

The Chinese government has announced it will require export licenses for certain graphite products to protect national security. This comes in response to efforts to challenge global production dominance in critical minerals. China is the world’s leading producer and exporter of graphite, processing more than 90 percent of the world’s material used in virtually all electric car anodes. Beijing’s decision to require export licenses comes when numerous foreign governments are increasing pressure on Chinese companies over their industrial practices. The European Union is considering imposing tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars, believing they benefit from unfair subsidies. At the same time, the U.S. government has significantly restricted Chinese companies’ access to semiconductors and halted sales of advanced artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia and other manufacturers. These measures are intensifying efforts by mining companies outside China to pursue graphite projects and leading to increased research into alternatives. Under the new restrictions, exporters must apply for a permit to ship two types of graphite starting Dec. 1: high-purity, high-strength synthetic graphite material and natural flake graphite and their derivatives. Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-require-export-permits-some-graphite-products-dec-1-2023-10-20/