LG Chem said it will invest 1.2 trillion won ($900 million) with Huayou Cobalt in a new joint venture to build a pCAM plant for the electric vehicle supply chain in South Korea, a move that that could test be another test of the partnership’s eligibility for the US Inflation Reduction Act. While the investment […]
> Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, specialising in battery supply chain research and insights, reports that 12.7GWh of new operational capacity entered operation in October 2025. Operational Capacity The grid-scale BESS market saw 12.7GWh of new capacity enter operations globally in October 2025, a y-o-y increase of 29%. China led new operational capacity with just under 8.8GWh of […]
> China’s Huayou Cobalt said its nickel production will increase by as much as 500% this year as its processing project in Indonesia starts production, just as Tesla supplier Sumitomo Metal Mining (SMM) said it would exit a joint venture in the country. Huayou’s chairman Chen Xuehua said the start of its PT Huayue Nickel Cobalt […]
> LG Chem has signed a non-binding offtake agreement with ExxonMobil for up to 100,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year. This is potentially Exxon’s full annual production. Exxon will supply lithium carbonate from its planned direct lithium extraction (DLE) project in the US to LG Chem’s cathode production facility under construction in Tennessee. LG Chem’s […]
> South Korea’s battery industry is one of the most developed and globally integrated ecosystems in the world. Yet beneath the surface of its technical leadership lies a sense of caution: competition from China is intensifying, margins are thin, and chemistry choices are shifting rapidly. A recent visit by Benchmark’s Lithium Product Director, Cameron Perks – […]
> India’s pipeline of cathode active material (CAM) production capacity is set to grow more than 50-fold over the next decade. Altmin, Himadri Speciality Chemical, and Epsilon Advanced Materials have the largest pipeline capacities in the country. Almost all CAM capacity under development in India is for LFP, both due to the popularity of the cathode […]
> US President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a landmark Critical Minerals Framework to bolster both nations’ access to rare earths and other critical minerals, in an effort to counter China’s dominance over strategically important supply chains. The framework indicates that the two governments will utilise a range of policy instruments to […]
> As the dust settles on LME Week in London, Benchmark reviews some of the key themes that shaped discussions throughout the week and gauges sentiment across metal markets heading towards year end. Across the board, discussions reflected metal markets navigating shifting trade policy, supply-side disruption, and uneven demand recovery. Copper: Arbitrage and disruption dominate discussion […]
> Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, specialising in EV supply chain research and insights, reports that 1.9 million electric vehicles were sold globally in October 2025. Rho Motion Data Manager, Charles Lester, commented: “Global EV sales reach 1.9 million units in October 2025, marking a 23% increase year-to-date. Europe led regional growth with a 36% year-on-year increase, driven […]