South Korea’s Samsung SDI will purchase nickel cobalt aluminium (NCA) cathode materials from EcoPro BM, in a deal worth 43.9 trillion KRW ($34 billion). EcoPro is the largest producer of NCA cathode material globally, producing 34% of the global supply of the material last year, according to Benchmark’s Cathode Forecast. The deal comes amidst falling […]
> South Korea’s lithium hydroxide production is set to increase 87% between 2024 and 2030, securing its position as a top three producer of the chemical, according to Benchmark’s Lithium Forecast. Its current number one position was further cemented as Posco completed construction on the second train of its joint venture plant in the country with […]
> StarPlus Energy, a joint venture between Stellantis and Samsung SDI, has received a conditional loan of $7.54 billion from the US Department of Energy (DoE) to help finance the development of two gigafactories in Indiana. The investment supports a trend of South Korean battery players driving US battery production. “Despite a global slowdown in battery […]
> Lithium chemical prices spiked in China on Monday following a bullish speech by the chairman of Ganfeng – the world’s third-largest lithium producer – in which it was suggested that lithium demand growth could reach 30% in 2026. In a keynote speech on 16 November at the 10th International Summit on Power Battery Application in […]
> Benchmark hosted its inaugural Giga Africa event in Marrakesh, Morocco in September, featuring delegates from across the battery supply chain. Over the many conversations and discussions held about Africa’s place in the global battery supply chain, several key themes emerged: Explore these topics in the words of Giga Africa’s expert speakers and panellists.
> Escalating unrest in Mali, as jihadi groups target fuel convoys around the capital Bamako, has led several governments including France and the US to advise their citizens to leave the country. The attacks have created fuel shortages, and raised serious concerns around the military government’s ability to maintain its rule in the country. Mali is […]
> Samsung SDI will supply Hyundai Motor with high nickel electric vehicle (EV) batteries for seven years starting from 2026, the first ever partnership in the EV space between the two South Korean companies. The prismatic battery cells will be made at Samsung’s factory in Hungary, forecast to supply 16.9% of Europe’s total cell supply in […]
> Benchmark Mineral Intelligence today announced the commercial launch of its new 314Ah lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell price for energy storage applications. The announcement comes as global LFP battery cell prices show signs of recovery, following a marked rebound in lithium carbonate costs and tightening supply conditions across the battery materials market. Benchmark’s Head of […]
> The Indonesian government is proposing what ministers have termed “regulatory tweaks” aimed at promoting the adoption of nickel-based batteries over lithium iron phosphate (LFP), in a move that aligns with the government’s broader policy to ‘downstream’ its nickel resources by establishing a fully-integrated domestic EV supply chain. While details of the new policy framework are […]