Report: Qinghai commissions world’s largest lithium metal project

【SMM Titanium Flash】On September 14th, Jintian Titanium Industry disclosed a private placement plan, intending to raise no more than 300 million yuan to invest in the construction of an advanced titanium alloy industrialization project for high-end equipment (Phase II). The project will add a 10,000-tonne ultra-large rapid forging unit to enhance the forging capacity of large-sized bars and extra-heavy wide forgings. The company's main products include titanium and titanium alloy bars, forgings, and components. It has already delivered batches of titanium alloy high-pressure gas cylinders to units under China Shipbuilding. The main structure of the Phase I project has been completed, and equipment joint debugging and testing have been completed. After commissioning, it will increase the annual production capacity of titanium alloy bars by 2,800 tonnes and forgings by 200 tonnes. With the implementation of the Phase II project, the company's supply capacity of high-end titanium materials for aerospace and marine equipment is expected to further enhance.

South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will launch regulatory exemption projects to recover critical minerals from semiconductor process waste, used batteries and end-of-life solar panels. The government plans to test technologies that recover silicon, copper, titanium and tungsten from semiconductor waste such as used silicon and targets, while reviewing regulatory changes to use such byproducts as circular resources rather than waste. Critical mineral recovery from used batteries and end-of-life solar panels will also be included in the demonstrations.

The industry chain remained in the doldrums overall this week, with some products stabilizing briefly, but demand-side improvement was limited. Electrolysis product prices stopped falling and rebounded, driven mainly by a phased increase in purchasing, though sustainability remains to be seen. The intermediate product market stayed in a stalemate, with upstream price-holding and low-price transactions intensifying the standoff; if low-priced supply persists, the price center still faces downside risk. Cost support for salt products continued to weaken, as low-cost recycled materials and low-price selling by some enterprises intensified market competition, while downstream purchase willingness remained cautious, leaving prices clearly under pressure. Co3O4 and cobalt chloride were broadly stable, but with both supply and demand weak and inventory digestion slow, there was little upward momentum in the short term. Cobalt powder quotations continued to edge lower, dragged down by weak demand from the cemented carbide sector. Ternary cathode precursors and ternary cathode materials continued to weaken under the impact of falling nickel and lithium raw material prices and reduced end-user orders, with production schedules also trending downward. LCO's traditional peak season performance fell short of expectations, with weak end-user stockpiling; falling costs and insufficient demand created dual pressure, and the market is expected to consolidate on a weak note in the short term.