Albemarle successfully auctioned 16,000 tons of spodumene, with a transaction price of US$1,210 per ton!

On August 6, 2026, Alpiq completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Harmony Energy, a pan-European developer and operator of battery energy storage systems, with technical due diligence support from Natural Power. The transaction strengthens Alpiq's position in flexible, low-carbon energy infrastructure and brings together a development platform with a multi-gigawatt pipeline across key European markets. Harmony Energy's portfolio spans the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe, with a focus on utility-scale standalone and co-located storage projects. The acquisition reflects the ongoing consolidation in European storage, where utilities and infrastructure investors are actively acquiring development platforms to secure pipeline access and operational expertise.

The UK's Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) announced on August 10, 2026, that it has selected 16 long-duration electricity storage projects totaling 7,645 MW for potential support under the first cap-and-floor application window. The portfolio includes pumped storage hydro, compressed air energy storage, lithium-ion batteries, and flow battery technologies, with discharge durations ranging from 8 hours to 32 hours. The consultation on the minded-to decision closes on August 7, 2026, with final awards expected in autumn 2026. The initiative represents a critical policy mechanism to incentivize the long-duration storage capacity needed to support the UK's 80% renewable electricity target by 2030.

En el lado de las materias primas, los precios del carbonato de litio y del sulfato de níquel fluctuaron esta semana, mientras que los precios del sulfato de cobalto continuaron en descenso.