Cost-Push and Tight Supply Drive Up Artificial Graphite Price Center [SMM Lithium Battery Anode Raw Material Market Weekly Review]

Raw material side, this week, lithium carbonate and nickel sulphate prices fluctuated, while cobalt sulphate prices fell steadily.

Second-life battery cell market remained steady overall this week. Upstream raw material cost support weakened. Lithium carbonate briefly rebounded during the week before its overall center shifted lower. Nickel sulphate futures ran steady, while cobalt sulphate continued its sustained downward trend. The raw material side failed to provide effective support for second-life battery cell prices. The supply side was notably impacted by the MIIT Announcement No. 20 on July 30. The document abolished the previous clauses related to power battery second-life applications, removed over a hundred listed second-life enterprises from the compliance catalog, and explicitly prohibited the use of retired power batteries in two-wheeler EV applications. Driven by the policy, dismantled second-life battery cells accelerated their flow into recycling and smelting channels. Quotations for dismantled supply fell under pressure, with some specifications' prices gradually converging toward scrap recycling prices, signifying a structural reshaping of the pricing logic for second-life battery cells. On the demand side, using second-life batteries in the small power sector was already a violation. The new policy means this gray market has been completely eliminated at the regulatory level. The energy storage scenario has become the core demand support for second-life battery cells. Energy storage demand remained stable, but downstream acceptance of high prices was limited, with procurement primarily driven by rigid demand and insufficient momentum for price increases. In the short term, the market is expected to maintain stable operation.