Battery Material

Posco Future M, the battery materials division of South Korea’s Posco Group, announced that it has signed its largest anode material supply contract to date. The order amounts to 671 billion won (approximately $470 million). From October 2027 to September 2031, Posco Future M will supply an unnamed global automaker with anode materials made from natural graphite. An extension option until 2037 could increase the contract value to 1.7 trillion won. According to media reports, the company plans to produce the materials at its new plant in the Saemangeum industrial complex in North Jeolla Province. The plant is currently under construction and will process graphite from African countries. Currently, Posco Future M uses intermediate products from China for its production in Sejong, which it plans to replace entirely by 2027. While battery manufacturers have traditionally served as an intermediary between material producers and car manufacturers, an increasing number of automotive groups are establishing direct supply contracts with suppliers. Against the backdrop of U.S. tariffs, this is intended to secure the supply chain and reduce dependence on Chinese materials. Market research company SNE Research reports that over 80 percent of the anode materials delivered worldwide come from China. Meanwhile, Posco Future M ranks eleventh with a 1.3 percent market share. Source:https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10593344

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/