[SMM Analysis] The ESS Market Heat Pulled Back at the Beginning of the Year, Battery Cell Prices Remained Mostly Stable This Week

》View SMM Cobalt and Lithium Product Prices, Data, and Market Analysis

》Subscribe to View Historical Spot Price Trends of SMM Cobalt and Lithium Products

SMM January 9 News:

This week, the prices of 314Ah and 280Ah ESS battery cells remained stable, while the prices of 100Ah and 50Ah ESS battery cells slightly declined. From a cost perspective, the theoretical cost of 280Ah battery cells was 0.293 yuan/Wh, and that of 314Ah battery cells was 0.279 yuan/Wh, with a relatively small overall cost reduction. Market side, domestic grid connection rush ended at the end of 2024, leading to a decrease in battery cell procurement enthusiasm at the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, due to previous low-price strategies adopted by battery cell manufacturers to clear inventory, their current inventory and market prices have dropped to relatively low levels. This period marks a critical time for signing major material orders for battery cells in 2025, with prices still under intense negotiation. Battery cell manufacturers have yet to fully grasp changes in material prices, showing low willingness to quote, which has slowed the decline in transaction prices. Looking ahead, as the market enters the off-season for ESS demand in Q1, most battery cell manufacturers are expected to implement production cuts due to demand changes and the holiday impact. Coupled with relatively stable short-term battery cell costs, ESS battery cell prices are anticipated to remain stable in the short term.

SMM New Energy Industry Research Department

Cong Wang 021-51666838

Xiaodan Yu 021-20707870

Rui Ma 021-51595780

Ying Xu 021-51666707

Disheng Feng 021-51666714

Yujun Liu 021-20707895

Yanlin Lü 021-20707875

Ye Yuan 021-51595792

Chensi Lin 021-51666836

Zhicheng Zhou 021-51666711

Haohan Zhang 021-51666752

Zihan Wang 021-51666914

Xiaoxuan Ren 021-20707866

Yushuo Liang 021-20707892

Jie Wang 021-51595902

Yang Xu 021-51666760