The battle for lithium resources "heats up" sharply

The imbalance between supply and demand, the battle for lithium resources is rapidly heating up.

Market data shows that as of May 12, the average price of battery-grade lithium carbonate was 89,000 yuan/ton, a 134% increase from last year’s low of 38,000 yuan/ton; the average price of battery-grade lithium hydroxide increased from 60,000 yuan/ton. Rose to 86,000 yuan/ton.

The industry’s judgment is that the main reason behind the rise in lithium salt prices is the strong downstream demand, from downstream to the terminal with full production and full sales, resulting in a misalignment of the supply and demand of raw materials, leading to rising lithium salt prices. Maintained until at least the end of the year, the profit of the industrial chain is expected to shift upstream.

Therefore, leading lithium salt companies have accelerated their control of upstream lithium mineral resources through underwriting, acquisition and other forms, and the paths are very diversified, involving spodumene, lithium concentrate, lithium salt lake and lithium clay.

For example, on the basis of "lithium salt lake + spodumene", Ganfeng Lithium again invested heavily in lithium clay resources in May, achieving a 100% stake in Bacanora with 1.7 billion yuan. The latter has a total lithium resource of approximately 8.82 million tons of carbonic acid. Lithium-equivalent Lithium Clay Sonora Project in Mexico.

At present, Ganfeng Lithium's main lithium resources include Australia's Mount Marion (spodumene) and Pilbara Pilgangoora (spodumene), Argentina's Mariana (brine), and Sonora project (lithium clay).

Yahua Group will extend the Galaxy Lithium Lithium Concentrate Offtake Agreement to 2025. The latter will need to provide no less than 120,000 tons of lithium concentrate per year. It also participated in the shares of Australia Core and signed a lithium concentrate offtake agreement. The latter has completed the final feasibility study. Its lithium mines have lower mining costs and higher mining values.

At the same time, Energy Investment Lithium, which it shares in, owns the Lijiagou Spodumene Mine mining rights, and the lithium concentrate mined and processed in the Lijiagou Lithium Mine will give priority to the production of Guoli Company. The Lijiagou Spodumene Mine has an annual output of about 170,000 tons of lithium concentrate mining and dressing projects. The roads have been repaired, the roadways have been opened, and the construction of the dressing plant is underway.

In addition, Yahua Group will continue to seek cooperation with other domestic and foreign lithium mines and salt lakes, actively expand the reserves of upstream lithium resources, and establish a rich and stable lithium resource supply guarantee system for the expansion of lithium salt production capacity.

In fact, many lithium mining giants, such as Ganfeng Lithium, Shengxin Lithium Energy, Yongxing Materials, Tianyi Lithium, and Yahua Group, are actively increasing the layout and capacity construction of lithium mines. On the one hand, it aims to meet the future demand for lithium salt generated by the global power lifepo4 battery market. On the other hand, it also wants to further expand production capacity and increase raw material reserves to reduce costs.

In addition, in order to maintain a stable supply of upstream lithium resources, global battery factories, OEMs, and material companies have intensified their battle for materials around upstream resources.

For example, CATL has successively invested in the Canadian lithium company, subscribed for the shares of Australian lithium miner Pilbara, and established a series of capital operations and long-term orders with Glencore, North American Lithium, and GEM to establish lithium resources (including lithium mines and recycling). Two channels), lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, ternary precursors, lithium iron phosphate and ternary materials, and other complete and substantial upstream raw material layout layouts.

At present, Guoxuan Hi-Tech has successively laid out upstream raw materials and battery recycling such as positive electrode, negative electrode, copper foil, separator, electrolyte, etc., forming a relatively complete four major materials and lifepo4 battery recycling ecosystem, and gradually established the "material end-battery end- The vertical layout of the whole industry chain on the product side.

It is foreseeable that in the future, more and more companies will realize the importance and urgency of the protection of upstream raw materials, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and other minerals and key upstream raw materials resources are becoming the sweet pastry for the market.