Sharp Output Cuts Led to Lithium Ore Shortages, High Import Prices Drove Lithium Salt Producers to Shut Down

Published: May 10, 2023 16:45

Source: SMM

Save

Lithium ore prices continued to stabilise last week. The current supply of lepidolite is still very limited. The mining volume has been reduced significantly, and the mining area has not been widened.

Leading mining companies such as Yichun Tantalum Niobium Mine are still in normal production, but the demand is so strong that these companies are about to stock out, which drove the mines to halt their sales. This increased inquiries under long-term contracts at other mining companies.

Import prices of spodumene remained high, and some lithium salt companies using imported cargoes continued to cut output or remained closed, or shifted their capacity into OEM capacity. Thanks to the stability of overseas prices under long-term contracts, production schedules of leading lithium salt enterprises will not be affected by the current prices of spodumene.

More popular news:

'Bond King' Jeffrey Gundlach Says Sharp Fed Rate Cuts By Year-End Will Push Up Gold Prices

US Treasury Bill Rates Soar to Record High on Debt Ceiling Jitters

Russia is Accelerating Technology to Become Top Liquefied Natural Gas Supplier by Tripling Exports By 2030

Rio Tinto Warns of Risks for Paying High Premiums for Lithium Mines after Plunging Lithium Prices Triggered Acquisition Rush

SMM Daily Comments (May 5): LME Base Metals Rose across the Board, SHFE Nickel Plunged

IMF Slashes Saudi Arabia GDP Growth 2023-2024, Saying the Country Can’t Achieve Budget Balance This Year unless International Oil Prices Surge to $81 per Barrel

JPMorgan Asset Management: US Treasury Bonds will Strengthen

JPMorgan: How to Invest Amid a Likely Recession? Investors are Turning to Gold and Tech Stocks

A Bull Gold Market Has Just Begun

Market forecast Market review Output

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

19 hours ago

[Shanghai Releases 2026 Third Batch of Energy-Saving & Emission-Reduction Funds and Ultra-Long Bonds Plan]

Shanghai has announced its 2026 allocation plan (third batch) for energy conservation and emission reduction special funds and ultra-long special treasury bonds. The funds will support national vehicle scrappage and replacement programs, covering both fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles, with a total of 43.232 million yuan allocated from the municipal energy conservation and emission reduction special funds.

19 hours ago

[Guangzhou Petrochemical's Fuel Cell Hydrogen Receives Clean Hydrogen Certification]

Guangzhou Petrochemical has obtained clean hydrogen certification from the National Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Vehicle Demonstration Evaluation Platform, passing the "Low-Carbon Hydrogen, Clean Hydrogen, and Renewable Hydrogen Standards and Evaluation." This milestone advances the company's hydrogen energy development and supports green transformation in transportation. The standard, proposed by the China Hydrogen Alliance, quantifies carbon emissions in hydrogen production. Guangzhou Petrochemical's hydrogen supply center now produces 5,100 tons/year of 99.999% pure fuel cell hydrogen, making it the largest in South China.

19 hours ago

[Cosmx: 2025 Net Profit Up 9.70% Year-on-Year]

Cosmx reported 2025 revenue of 14.4B yuan, up 24.7% YoY. Net profit attributable to parent was 472.1M yuan, up 9.7% YoY. Core profit (non-recurring items excluded) fell 10.4% to 312.8M yuan. During the reporting period, the year-on-year growth in the company's operating revenue was mainly due to: (1) Significant results in market expansion, leading to an effective increase in customer share; (2) The company's focus on its automotive low-voltage lithium battery and drone battery businesses, resulting in continued improvement in the operating efficiency of its power business.

19 hours ago