Chinese Lithium Carbonate Smelters Shy Away From Expensive Australian Spodumene, Seeking Cheaper Australian Sources

[Solid-state battery: Tianneng Battery achieves large-scale delivery of semi-solid-state 314Ah battery cells, with multi-technology systems making breakthroughs in stages] On 28 August 2026, Tianneng Battery disclosed in its H1 2026 semi-annual report that the semi-solid-state 314Ah battery cells produced in cooperation with WELION New Energy have achieved large-scale batch delivery and have been successfully applied first to grid-side ESS equipment. The company has laid out multiple new-type battery technology routes, including solid-state batteries, sodium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, and its "lithium-lithium-hydrogen-sodium + solid-state" multi-technology system is accelerating its formation, with the industrialisation process showing a staged progression of "sodium-ion battery demonstration and verification, solid-state battery deployment in multiple scenarios, and accelerated commercialisation of hydrogen fuel". The company's lithium battery business has significantly accelerated its push to go global, with residential ESS outside China as a key breakthrough direction. For specific H1 financial data, please refer to the full report. Semi-solid-state battery: solid-liquid battery.

[Solid-State Battery: EcoPro BM Forms All-Solid-State Battery Team Covering the Full "Raw Material-Material-Battery Cell" Chain, Targeting Commercialization by 2027] On August 26, 2026, EcoPro BM held a kick-off meeting in Gyeonggi Province, officially forming an "all-solid-state battery team" covering the full "raw material-material-battery cell" chain. The project is led by South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and EcoPro BM was selected in early August, along with four other enterprises, as a third-phase "super subcontractor" company. Team participants include the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Hanyang University, and others. EcoPro BM plans to develop sulphide-based solid electrolytes based on high-purity lithium sulphide, with the goal of commercializing sulphide-based all-solid-state batteries by 2027. Reported by Yonhap News Agency and other South Korean media on August 31.