In June 2024, Australian mining company Latitude 66 announced the discovery of a 2.5-kilometer-long mineralized corridor containing gold, cobalt, and copper in the K6 exploration area of northern Finland. Though still in early-stage exploration, the discovery could have far-reaching implications for Europe’s ongoing efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains. From a resource, geographic, and policy standpoint, the project shows strong potential to become a key contributor to Europe’s green energy transition.

Global lithium producers gathered at a major industry conference this week, but what dampened their spirits was the widespread belief within the industry that the phase of low lithium prices had not yet passed. Dale Henderson, CEO of Australian lithium miner Pilbara Minerals, stated that the company was feeling the market pain. Practitioners pointed out that despite the continuous rise in demand for lithium metal, lithium prices had been declining, which was quite contradictory. However, the industry consensus was that this "paradox" was unlikely to be resolved before 2030.

This week, the spot lithium carbonate market exhibited a fluctuating trend, initially declining and then rebounding. The center of transaction prices shifted slightly higher WoW, but the overall market remained constrained by the fundamental pattern of oversupply, with no significant easing of the supply-demand imbalance.

Under the terms of the deal, Rock Tech will supply battery-grade lithium hydroxide from its forthcoming refinery in Guben, Germany, to Ronbay's cathode manufacturing facility in Konin, Poland. This vertical integration creates a seamless supply chain that reduces reliance on imports and shortens delivery times for European battery manufacturers.

As of this Friday, at northern ports: Australian lump ore was priced at 39-40 yuan/mtu, unchanged from last Friday; Australian seed ore was priced at 35.8-36.8 yuan/mtu, unchanged from last Friday; South African semi-carbonate ore was priced at 33.1-33.6 yuan/mtu, up 1.52% WoW from last Friday; Gabonese ore was priced at 36.4-37.4 yuan/mtu, up 1.1% WoW from last Friday; South African high-iron ore was priced at 29.1-29.6 yuan/mtu, unchanged from last Friday. At southern ports: Australian lump ore was priced at 39-40 yuan/mtu, unchanged from last Friday; Australian seed ore was priced at 35.3-35.8 yuan/mtu, down 0.56% WoW from last Friday; South African semi-carbonate ore was priced at 33.4-33.9 yuan/mtu, up 1.22% WoW from last Friday; Gabonese ore was priced at 38.5-39 yuan/mtu, up 1.04% WoW from last Friday; South African high-iron ore was priced at 28.5-29 yuan/mtu, up 0.7% WoW from last Friday. At month-end, downstream alloy plants stockpiled manganese ore, leading to a gradual reduction in inventory at northern and southern ports. Influenced by the positive performance of the SiMn futures market this week, spot manganese ore prices showed an upward trend, with some miners maintaining firm quotes. Future price movements will depend on the performance of the SiMn futures market and the purchasing behavior of downstream alloy plants for manganese ore.

[SMM Analysis: Civil Aviation Safety Cannot Be Ignored. How Will the New Regulations on Power Banks Reshape the Ecosystem of the Lithium Battery Consumer Industry?] SMM reported on June 27: The "Notice on Strengthening the Safety Management of Lithium Battery Transportation in Civil Aviation" recently issued by the Civil Aviation Administration clearly stipulates that starting from June 28, power banks that have not obtained 3C certification, have unclear certification marks, or are part of recalled batches will be completely prohibited from entering the domestic flight transportation system. The introduction of this policy has not only attracted widespread attention from passengers but also had a profound impact on the development of the lithium battery industry. Previous market spot checks have shown that the pass rate of mobile power supplies has long hovered between 60% and 80%, while the new national standard requires battery cells to pass rigorous tests such as nail penetration and thermal abuse. This has directly led to the elimination of small and medium-sized producers relying on low-quality battery cells. For example, ROMOSS withdrew from the market as almost all of its products were suspended due to 3C certification issues, and leading brands such as Anker and Xiaomi were also forced to recall millions of products due to battery cell issues from their supplier Amprius...

The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued an urgent notice, prohibiting passengers from carrying power banks without 3C certification, with unclear 3C certification, or of recalled models or batches on domestic flights starting from June 28.