SHANGHAI, Jan. 11 (SMM) –
Price War Calms Down, Electric Vehicle Battery Price to Rise
Tianneng Power, a leading battery producer in China has reportedly raised prices for electric vehicle batteries by RMB 20/set following the New Year holiday, which is expected to cause a price increase throughout motive battery segment.

Nevertheless, whether the price increase will help improve lead-acid battery market and give a rise in lead consumption remains uncertain. SMM believes lead demand will unlikely show significant growth in the short term as price war in lead-acid battery market will probably be reignited at any time given the excess battery capacity. Thus, battery producers should adjust themselves to the market for survival.

Increase in Electric Vehicle Battery Prices Turns Out a Mixed Bag for Non-Leading Enterprises
Changxing Storage Battery Association of Zhejiang province, decided to raise prices for 48V 12Ah electric vehicle batteries by RMB 16/set, and for 48V 22Ah batteries by RMB 22/mt, which may ease the losses at motive battery producers. However, this action also triggered concerns among non-leading enterprises.
 
Secondary Lead Smelters Snap up Scrap Batteries, But Prices Hold Steady
SMM was informed that large secondary lead smelters were aggressively purchasing scrap batteries ahead of Chinese New Year holiday.
Traditionally, secondary lead smelters start to replenish scrap batteries a month before Chinese New Year holiday to ensure subsequent production, as most scrap battery recyclers close for the holiday. Although lead demand from battery producers was sluggish this year, large secondary lead smelters reflected stable demand from their downstream buyers. The upcoming high demand season also encouraged many smelters to maintain normal operations.

14 Orefields Discovered in Qinghai in 2012 
Some 500 million mt of coal resources were discovered in China through 2012, while 13,000 mt of iron ore was discovered. The amount of newfound copper, lead, and zinc resources totaled 2.36 million mt, while new nickel ore discovered amounted to 440,000 mt. 60 mt of gold and 100 million mt of sylvite were also discovered in 2012.