In June 2026, Chile’s lithium carbonate exports stood at 21,600 mt and lithium sulfate exports at 14,900 mt.

[SMM Analysis] In H1, the overflow of global utility-scale energy storage long-term contracts intertwined with the growing pains of production line upgrades. This not only completely shattered the cyclical pattern of "retreat after rapid rise" in the energy storage market, but also directly triggered a structural shortage and a strong price recovery for 314Ah battery cells. Furthermore, driven by the looming cancellation of tax rebates at year-end, an even more intense wave of "export rush" is gaining momentum, potentially pushing the full-year battle between volume and price to its peak.

Production-wise, China's cumulative production of lithium battery separators from January to June was approximately 17.416 billion m², of which wet-process separators accounted for 15.005 billion m², or 86.16%, and dry-process separators accounted for 2.411 billion m², or 13.84%.