State Council's State-Owned Assets Commission to Conduct Separate Assessments of New Energy Vehicle Operations for Central State-Owned Automobile Companies

NextStar Energy, LG Energy Solution’s wholly owned Canadian manufacturing subsidiary, announced on October 21 local time that cumulative battery cell production at its Windsor, Ontario, plant had exceeded 10 million. The facility has a total designed annual production capacity of up to 49.5 GWh. Investment since the project’s establishment in 2022 has exceeded CAD 5 billion. Module production began in October 2024, followed by electrode and cell production in November 2025. A battery pack production line began operating in June 2026, integrating cell, module and pack manufacturing at the site.

On October 19, 2026, the Secretariat of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services of Brazil (Ministério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria, Comércio e Serviços/Secretaria de Comércio Exterior) issued Announcement No. 98 of 2026, making an affirmative preliminary determination in the anti-dumping investigation concerning graphite electrodes (Portuguese: eletrodos de grafite) originating from China and India. It recommended continuing the investigation without imposing provisional anti-dumping measures and extended the deadline for the final determination in this case to 18 months from the initiation of the investigation. This case involves products under NCM code 8545.11.00.

According to Nickel Industries' Q3 2026 operating report released on October 22, its 46%-owned Excelsior Nickel Cobalt (ENC) HPAL project in Indonesia continued commissioning and production ramp-up during the quarter. The project produced 494 tonnes of contained cobalt and 4,840 tonnes of contained nickel in MHP during Q3. ENC achieved its first MHP production in July, nickel cathode production in August, and cobalt metal cathode production in September, marking a significant milestone in its cobalt processing operations. ENC previously reached 50% of its nameplate capacity, but an unusually severe drought and water shortages in Central Sulawesi have constrained further ramp-up. The company expects conditions to improve with the arrival of the rainy season in December. The project has secured an exemption from Indonesia's MHP export restrictions but has not yet obtained its Industrial Business License (IUI), resulting in no product sales during Q3. The license is expected in Q4 2026, paving the way for commercial sales. In addition, ENC recently secured US$245 million in project financing to support ongoing operations and further capacity ramp-up.