[Lithium Battery: Expansion Project For 80,000 Tons/Year Lithium Battery Anode Material Lands In Qingdao, Shandong]

On August 5th, The African Development Bank Group has approved a €100 million loan to Gotion Power Morocco to finance an integrated cathode-to-cell lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery gigafactory in the Rabat-Salé Kénitra Free Trade Zone. AfDB plans to mobilize up to an additional €141 million from financial partners, acting as Mandated Lead Arranger under the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD). The project is led by Gotion High-Tech, a Hefei-headquartered, Shenzhen-listed battery manufacturer, and will mark the first integrated battery manufacturing plant in Africa and the MENA region. Phase 1 targets 10 GWh of battery cell and pack production for EVs, with capacity plans to scale up to 100 GWh. The facility is expected to create over 600 direct jobs and reach a 70% local industrial integration rate. AfDB's Kevin Kariuki called battery storage the missing link in Africa's clean energy transition, noting the renewable-powered facility will support large-scale solar and wind integration while building green industrial jobs. AfDB's Morocco country manager Achraf Tarsim said the gigafactory will strengthen Morocco's industrial competitiveness and support local beneficiation of critical minerals used in the energy transition. SMM View: The project signals growing downstream investment in Africa's battery value chain, moving beyond raw mineral extraction toward integrated cathode-to-cell manufacturing. As Morocco positions itself as a mobility and green-tech hub, this development adds to a broader continental trend of localizing value-add stages of the lithium supply chain a shift that could reshape where and how African critical minerals are processed in the years ahead

On August 4, news emerged that the signing ceremony for the cooperation project between BTR Group and Wuchuang Recycling was held in Ningxiang City, Hunan Province. This collaboration, leveraging BTR Group's technological and channel advantages in the anode material field and Wuchuang Recycling's supporting infrastructure in the waste lithium battery recycling industry, will further complement the downstream material segment of Ningxiang's power battery recycling industry chain. This will enhance industrial synergies and inject new momentum into the development of the green economy.

【Ascend Elements Reaches DOJ Settlement Over DOE Grant Claims】 U.S. battery recycler Ascend Elements has agreed to pay US$7.5 million to settle civil allegations over inflated reimbursement claims under a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant. The DOE has canceled the remaining funding for the Hopkinsville battery recycling project, which is about 65% complete, while the facility's future development remains under review.