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On July 22, 2026, the first batch of spodumene concentrate produced by Manono Lithium – a company 54.9% owned by Zijin Mining – was shipped from Mutowa Port in Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), bound for international markets via Kigoma, Tanzania. Prior to shipment, the cargo was inspected and certified by the DRC's Centre d'Expertise, d'Évaluation et de Certification des Substances Minérales (CEEC), which stated that this transport marks the country's first-ever export of lithium products. The Governor of Tanganyika Province supervised the loading and noted that the shipment represents a key milestone for the province's integration into the regional mining trade network. He also called on the operating company to prioritize local hiring, so that the development of the mineral supply chain can generate more jobs and broader economic benefits for local residents. However, the commercial significance of the shipment remains difficult to assess, as the export volume, concentrate grade, transaction value, buyer identity, and final destination after arrival in Kigoma have not been disclosed. Future export plans have also not been announced.Manono Lithium operates the northeastern part of the Manono deposit under mining permit PE 15775. Its shareholding structure is: Zijin Mining affiliates hold 54.9%, DRC state-owned mining company Cominière holds 35.1%, and the DRC government holds 10%. The project is designed to process 5 million tonnes of ore annually, with a target output of approximately 1 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year. Subsequent crushing, flotation, and lithium compound processing facilities will be built in phases, and the first-stage lithium sulphate raw material production project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

According to a press conference held by the National Energy Administration (NEA), in the first half of this year, driven by the rapid development of high‑tech industries such as new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence, electricity consumption in the charging and swapping service sector and the internet data service sector grew strongly, reaching 81.0 billion kWh and 49.4 billion kWh respectively, up 56.9% and 44% year‑on‑year. Together, they contributed 0.9 percentage points to the growth of total electricity consumption of the whole society.

CSBearing stated on its interactive platform that the company is primarily engaged in the R&D, production, and sales of self‑lubricating bearings and high‑performance polymers, with products covering automotive, construction machinery, clean energy, embodied intelligence, and other sectors. As a Tier‑2 or Tier‑3 supplier to automotive OEMs, the company already has products used in Tesla vehicles. In the field of embodied‑intelligence components, CSBearing has established business and technical cooperation with multiple domestic enterprises along the embodied‑intelligence industry chain.

Aohai Technology announced that its holding subsidiary, Zhixin Control Systems Co., Ltd., has signed an investment agreement with the Administrative Committee of Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone to invest in and construct the Zhixin Control R&D Center and Production Base project. The project will primarily build an R&D center as well as SMT/THT/coating lines, assembly, testing, and packaging lines, which will be applied to the R&D, production, and testing of new products such as new energy vehicle control systems, AI smart backup power generation control systems, and robot central domain control units. The total estimated investment is approximately RMB 570 million, of which RMB 400 million is allocated for R&D and RMB 170 million for fixed asset investment. The project is expected to commence production in 2026 and reach full capacity by 2030, with an estimated annual output value or revenue of approximately RMB 3 billion upon reaching full capacity.

In H1 2026, South Korea’s NEV sales and exports posted double-digit growth, while domestic battery output declined. BEV sales rebounded from a low base, but export growth was led by hybrids, limiting the impact on large-format battery and NCM demand. NCM cell output continued to fall, while LFP capacity expanded. LFP-based ESS is emerging as a new growth driver, but remains too small to offset the NCM decline.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has issued the 15th Five‑Year Plan for Green and Low‑Carbon Industrial Development, which calls for consolidating and upgrading green competitive industries. It accelerates technological iteration and scenario expansion in key sectors such as new energy vehicles (NEVs), new energy equipment, and new‑type energy storage. It promotes innovative applications of next‑generation power batteries, automotive‑grade chips, and automotive operating systems, and expands the deployment of heavy‑duty NEV trucks in scenarios including trunk line transport, short‑and‑medium‑haul logistics, urban construction, and mining and port operations. It substantially increases the share of green electricity used in polysilicon production, breaks through design and manufacturing technologies for highly reliable wind turbines in desert‑Gobi‑wasteland, high‑altitude, and deep‑sea environments, and promotes the integrated application of wind‑solar‑storage equipment tailored to local conditions. It accelerates the development of large‑capacity, high‑safety, all‑climate, long‑life lithium‑battery products, extends high‑performance lithium batteries to applications in low‑altitude equipment, intelligent robots, electric vessels, electric construction machinery, and new‑energy agricultural machinery, and expands new‑type energy storage applications in areas such as coordinated power supply operation and grid stability support.

In 2026, as restored lithium iron phosphate (LFP) capacity expands from 150,000–160,000 tons to 170,000–180,000 tons, traditional hydrometallurgical LFP recycling companies are facing a wave of profit and competitive landscape reshaping driven by rivalry between different technological routes.

Recently, the company and the management committee of Huanggang High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Hubei, held a signing ceremony for the LFP battery circular base project. According to public information, the project adopts the combined "physical dismantling + hydrometallurgy" recycling process. Production lines cover waste LIB dismantling, reduction roasting furnace, carbonization, leaching and purification, extraction, and evaporative crystallization equipment. Final products include battery-grade lithium carbonate, battery-grade nickel sulfate, battery-grade cobalt sulfate, and battery-grade manganese sulfate, achieving closed-loop recycling from waste batteries to high-end battery materials.

Recently, Longnan Economic and Technological Development Zone in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, released the first EIA information announcement for the waste power battery comprehensive utilization project. The project is located in the Electronic Information Industrial Park, Longnan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Ganzhou. It constructs a new waste power battery pack resource utilization production line, with main processes including external screw removal, cover removal, busbar removal, high/low voltage harness removal, module fixing screw removal, and module extraction. Upon completion, it will achieve an annual processing capacity of 10,000 tons of waste Li-ion batteries, yielding 8,000 tons of modules meeting reuse standards and 2,000 tons of hardware materials.

Recently, the planning and natural resources authority of Guangzhou, Guangdong, released the acceptance notice for the retired power battery and waste LIB comprehensive utilization project. The project involves a total investment of RMB 1.22 billion, located in Chini Industrial Park, Chini Town, Huadu District, Guangzhou. It consists of a new energy storage smart manufacturing center, a 60,000-ton/year retired power battery comprehensive utilization and dismantling center, and a 50,000-vehicle/year new energy scrapped vehicle dismantling center. Upon completion, the annual output value will exceed RMB 1.3 billion, with annual carbon emission reduction reaching 1.03 million tons.

Recently, the relevant authority released the first EIA announcement for the annual 18,000-ton waste new energy battery recycling and comprehensive utilization project. The project involves a total investment of RMB 34 million, located in the Circular Economy Industrial Park, Penggao Town, Pingxiang Economic and Technological Development Zone, Jiangxi. It consists of one new waste battery comprehensive utilization production line, with 136 pieces of equipment including capacity grading, battery dismantling, refrigerated cabinets, and dust removal systems. Upon completion, it will achieve an annual recycling and comprehensive utilization capacity of 18,000 tons of waste new energy batteries.

Recently, the ecological environment authority of Ji'an, Jiangxi, released the proposed approval for the EIA report of the annual 15,000-ton spent LFP battery expansion project. The project involves a total investment of RMB 30 million, located in Chengnan Industrial Park, Xiajiang Industrial Park, Ji'an. Using spent LFP battery cells as raw material, it adopts processes including cutting, primary crushing, drying pyrolysis, cooling, and screening to produce battery powder, copper, and aluminum. Upon completion, it will achieve an annual processing capacity of 15,000 tons of spent LFP battery cells, yielding 8,878.39 tons of LFP battery powder, 1,499.72 tons of copper foil, and 1,143.17 tons of aluminum foil.