China's Lopal starts first Indonesian LFP battery plant

: Battery materials, Metals
24/04/22

Major Chinese lithium iron phosphate (LFP) producer Jiangsu Lopal Tech has launched production at the first phase of its Indonesia-based LFP production plant.

The Indonesian plant is the first overseas LFP battery material production project with over 10,000 t/yr capacity that a Chinese company has invested in, Lopal said. Lopal's subsidiary Changzhou Liyuan New Energy Technology started building the first phase of the project in July last year, with a 30,000 t/yr output capacity for LFP battery material. The line started pilot production in March. The plant is located in the Kendal Industrial Park in Indonesia's Central Java province.

The whole project has a designed capacity of 120,000 t/yr, with the second phase of 90,000 t/yr likely to start construction in the second half of this year. This project marks a milestone in China's investment in overseas battery feedstock resources, according to market participants. Most Indonesian projects that Chinese firms invest in are for primary materials or intermediates such as lithium salts, graphite, nickel matte, mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) and ferro-nickel including nickel pig iron.

Lopal has been accelerating its investment in lithium-ion battery material production in the past few years. It is also building a 50,000 t/yr production line for LFP and a 100,000 t/yr plant for iron phosphate in the Shandong Heze Juancheng industrial park, in which another 80,000 t/yr iron phosphate project is located. Changzhou Liyuan on 18 April released its newly-developed 4th generation high compaction LFP cathode material S501, with 2.65g/cm³ of compaction. This has increased the battery's energy density and power load, said the company.

LFP has taken up a bigger market share in the power battery market because of its lower manufacturing costs and safer performance. But one of its main disadvantages is shorter driving ranges on electric vehicles because of lower energy density.

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25/04/09

S Korea unveils auto industry support after US tariffs

Singapore, 9 April (Argus) — South Korea has unveiled planned emergency measures to support its automobile industry given the sweeping US tariffs, turning towards its domestic market and outwards to the "global south" to generate demand. South Korea exported nearly $127.8bn of goods to the US in 2024,accounting for about 18.7pc of its total exports. About almost $34.7bn were from passenger automotives. It will provide around 3 trillion South Korean won ($2bn) of new emergency liquidity support, expand its policy finance by W2 trillion to a total of W15 trillion and hand out more car export support. South Korea will also extend the electric vehicle (EV) corporate discount subsidy policy until the end of the year, and it will now support between 30-80pc of EVs' price, up from previously 20-40pc. A focus on the domestic market will help respond to lower export volumes given the US' tariffs, said the country's trade and industry ministry (Motie). The country will cut the special consumption tax on new car purchases from 5pc to 3.5pc until June, while not ruling out any other necessary additional support. It will also push its public sector, public institutions and local governments to buy "business vehicles" within the first half of 2025, which will likely buoy eco-friendly vehicle sales. Eco-friendly vehicles in South Korea refer to hybrids, battery EVs, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. Eco-friendly vehicle domestic sales surged by 50pc on the year to about 60,350 units in February, while exports rose by 32pc to almost 69,000 units. It is also turning to new "global south" markets by offering an extra budget on export vouchers and trade insurance support until the end of 2025, citing its agreements and negotiations with countries such as the UAE, Mexico, the Philippines and Ecuador. The combined market share of three South Korean battery firms — LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On and Samsung SDI — on global EV battery installations in has further declined in January-February, according to the latest data from South Korean market intelligence firm SNE Research. They now take up 17.7pc of the global market share, down by almost 5.5 percentage points compared to a year earlier. "It has become also important for K-trio to come up with strategic measures to increase their local production in North America and diversify raw material suppliers," said SNE, citing the US tariffs. LGES last year said it is looking to produce energy storage system cells in the US through its subsidiary LGES Vertech from 2025. SK On earlier this week told Argus that the tariffs will have "limited" potential impact on its business, with its manufacturing facility in the US state of Georgia, SK Battery America, supplying batteries for its US sales volumes . By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Mexican peso weakens on US tariff fears

25/04/08

Mexican peso weakens on US tariff fears

Mexico City, 8 April (Argus) — The Mexican peso has weakened in recent days amid growing fears that US president Donald Trump's new wave of tariffs could derail the US economy and, in turn, slash Mexico's economic growth, financial analysts said. After Trump announced a series of new import tariffs on what he dubbed "Liberation Day" on 2 April, the peso initially reacted positively, as Mexico was largely spared from the measures, thanks to protections under the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement. The current tariff structure largely remains in place, which means zero tariffs on products under the USMCA agreement, except for steel, aluminum and finalized// assembled automobiles. Auto parts under USMCA still face zero tariffs. These exceptions, and other non-USMCA-compliant products, maintain 25pc tariffs on non-US content, analysts Barclays said. The peso appreciated more than 3.2pc to Ps19.97/$1 on 3 April from Ps20.4/$1 on 2 April, according to data from Mexico's central bank (Banxico). The exemptions could make Mexico more attractive in the medium- and long-term to manufacturers aiming to avoid US tariffs, Barclays said. Yet, investors are now concerned about the broader economic fallout of the escalating US-China trade conflict. "The Mexican peso is one of the most depreciated currencies [as of 7 April], because even though Mexico has not been hit with reciprocal tariffs and benefits from USMCA, the economic impact of tariffs on the US economy could significantly affect Mexico," said Gabriela Siller, chief economist at Mexican bank Banco Base. The peso weakened to Ps20.50/$1 on 4 April, from Ps19.97/$1 on 3 April, and continued weakening, closing at Ps20.69/$1 on 7 April, a 2.3pc depreciation over the last week. Year over year, the peso has tanked 21pc, affected by multiple reforms diminishing Mexico's business environment that passed in late 2024, Trump's electoral victory in November, and now by Trump's tariffs. Mexico's GDP is expected to grow by 0.2pc this year, according to a new Citi survey of 32 bank analysts, with nine forecasting zero or negative growth because of the potential fallout from US trade policy. On 1 April, Mexico's finance ministry lowered its 2025 GDP forecast to 1.5–2.3pc, down from 2–3pc. That's still more optimistic than the central bank and private analysts, who expect growth of only 0.7pc , citing uncertainty over US policy and tariff threats. By Édgar Sígler Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

New medical device demand to disrupt rhenium market

25/04/08

New medical device demand to disrupt rhenium market

London, 8 April (Argus) — Superalloys have been the primary source of rhenium demand over the past two decades, but new medical applications have the potential to disrupt the market. Several molybdenum-rhenium (MoRe) alloy medical devices have been approved by the US Food and Administration (FDA) over the past 18 months and demand is growing fast, delegates at the Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA) annual conference in Lisbon heard today. China has been hoovering up much of the global supply of rhenium, which is primarily produced by Molymet in Chile, for its burgeoning aerospace manufacturing industry. China surpassed the US as the largest importer of rhenium from Chile in 2023, taking 26t — up from 2t in 2018 — according to UK-based trading firm Lipmann Walton. That was equivalent to Molymet's annual primary production. The US has historically been the largest importer for its aerospace industry, with aerospace superalloys typically accounting for around 75pc of overall rhenium demand. But the aerospace industry will increasingly need to compete with the medical industry for supply over the coming years, several speakers said. Mo50 Re alloy, which contains 47.5pc rhenium and 52.5pc molybdenum, has been cleared by the FDA for use in spinal implants, and more recently cardiovascular stents. MiRus, which is developing spine, limb and structural heart disease treatments using its MoRe alloys, received FDA clearance of the first MoRe-based spine implant in 2019 and has since received further approvals for its devices. "It takes up to 10 years for medical approvals, but now approved, the demand from this sector alone could be as much as the largest premium producer makes in any given year," Lipmann Walton managing director Suzannah Lipmann said. Rhenium-based alloys have been associated with high-temperature applications, but they continue to find new uses at body temperature that benefit from its mechanical strength, fatigue resistance and biological performance as an alternative to traditional stainless steel, titanium, nickel-titanium and cobalt-chromium alloys used in medical implants. MoRe implants have so far not shown the allergic reactions that can results from nickel, cobalt or chromium implants. "It's one thing to have the approval for a new design, for a new type of instrument based upon traditional materials, but it's a totally different thing to have the approval for a new material," Molymet's research director Edgardo Cisternas. "This is a major milestone that opens the door for the use of this material. It's already being used in spinal and coronary surgeries, and probably will set new standards for bio-operability." Rhenium alloys show promise for the design of a new generation of smaller, stronger and more fatigue-resistant foot and ankle implants, which result in faster recovery and better outcomes for patients, Titan International's chief technical officer Alex Iasnikov said. Traditional devices have a tendency to break over time, at a rate of up to 10pc, requiring replacement, Iasnikov said. But rhenium-containing implants are more robust and have shown zero breakage rates in initial testing. MoRe stents can absorb more radiation than traditional alloys, making them easier to implant more precisely and safely. "With our ageing population around the world, this is going to result in big demand," Iasnikov said. "We believe that demand for this can grow very substantially, and I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years it might disrupt markets." Growing demand for rhenium, driven by megatrends such as medicine, electronics and green hydrogen refining, in addition to Chinese aerospace manufacturing, could lift prices to levels that would spur increased recycling, speakers said. This is particularly the case as annual output from the world's four major primary producers is set to remain relatively stable, given reductions in copper and molybdenum concentrate content in legacy ore bodies and a lack of new mining capacity in development. By Nicole Willing Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Flooding on US rivers mires barge transit

25/04/07

Flooding on US rivers mires barge transit

Houston, 7 April (Argus) — Barge transit slowed across the Arkansas, Ohio and lower Mississippi rivers over the weekend because of flooding, which prompted the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to close locks and issue transit restrictions along the waterways. The Corps advised all small craft to limit or halt transit on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MCKARNS) in Arkansas because flows reached above 200,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), nearly three times the high-water flow. The heavy flow is expected to persist throughout the week, posing risks to those transiting the river system, said the Corps. Some barges have halted movement on the river, temporarily miring fertilizer resupply efforts in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the middle of the urea application season. The Corps forecasts high flows to continue into Friday, and the National Weather Service predicts several locations along the MCKARNS will maintain a moderate to minor flood stage into Friday as well. Both the Arthur V Ormond Lock and the Toad Suck Ferry Lock, upriver from Little Rock, Arkansas, shut on 6 April because of the high flows. Flows along the Little Rock Corps district reached 271,600cfs on 7 April. The Corps forecasts high flows to continue into Friday. Ohio and lower Mississippi rivers The Corps restricted barge transit between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Cairo, Illinois, on the Ohio River to mitigate barge transportation risks, with the Corps closing two locks on the Ohio River on 6 April and potentially four more in the coming days. Major barge carrier American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) anticipates dock and fleeting operations will be suspended at certain locations along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers as a result of the flooding. NWS forecasters anticipate major flooding levels to persist through the following week. Barge carriers also expect a backlog of up to two weeks in the region. To alleviate flooding at Cairo, Illinois, where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet, the Corps increased water releases at the Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River and the Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River. The Markland Lock, downriver from Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Newburgh lock near Owensboro, Kentucky, closed on 6 April. The Corps expects the full closure to remain until each location reaches its crest of nearly 57ft, which could occur on 8 or 9 April, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Around 50 vessels or more are waiting to transit each lock, according to the Lock Status Report published by the Corps on 7 April. The Corps also shut a chamber at both Cannelton and McAlpine locks. The John T Myers and Smithland locks may close on 7 April as well, the Corps said. The Olmsted Lock, the final lock before the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, will require a 3mph limit for any traffic passing through. The NWS expects roughly 10-15 inches of precipitation fell along the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys earlier this month, inducing severe flooding across the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. A preliminary estimate from AccuWeather stated an estimated loss of $80-90bn in damages from the extreme flooding. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

UK rows back ZEV mandate for hybrids

25/04/07

UK rows back ZEV mandate for hybrids

London, 7 April (Argus) — The UK government has pushed back its zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to 2035 from 2030, and has committed to support carmakers following the imposition of trade barriers by the US last week. The original ZEV cut-off point of 2030, one of Europe's most ambitious, will still apply to sales of cars powered by gasoline and diesel, but will be extended to 2035 for HEVs. The government will now also let carmakers continue using low-emission non-ZEVs to earn credits toward their ZEV sales targets until 2029, instead of ending this arrangement in 2026. This means they can offset some of their current ZEV requirements with cleaner non-ZEV sales, effectively pushing part of their ZEV sales obligations past the original mandate deadlines. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the changes were made "in the face of global economic challenges". The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) welcomed the changes, saying the government had "rightly listened to industry" and responded quickly to the change in global dynamics. Over the weekend, Jaguar Land-Rover paused exports to the US while it digested the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs. "Given the potentially severe headwinds facing manufacturers following the introduction of US tariffs, greater action will almost certainly be needed to safeguard our industry's competitiveness. UK-US negotiations must continue at pace," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said. Competition concerns Other industry groups said delaying the mandate could lead to a loss of competitiveness in the long term transition to EVs. "Its dilution is in stark contrast to the accelerating ambition of the Chinese and others. UK-based automakers need to fully embrace battery electric or be significantly diminished in time, running the risk of continued job losses," said Dan Caesar, chief executive of Electric Vehicles UK, an industry association based in London. Some were more resigned, recognising the need to allow room for carmakers to transition and consumers to gain access to low priced vehicles — especially at a time of elevated trade tensions. "We understand the pressure British car makers face and welcome the government's declaration of support," said Quentin Wilson, founder of EV advocacy group FairCharge. "While we don't agree that hybrids mainly powered by a combustion engine should be included in the ZEV mandate until 2035, we do understand the reasons why, along with increased flexibilities until 2029." By Thomas Kavanagh UK car registrations by fuel Fuel type Feb-25 Feb-24 % Change % Market share 2025 % Market share 2024 BEV 21,244 14,991 41.7 25 17.7 Plug-in hybrid vehicles 7,273 6,098 19.3 9 7.2 Hybrid EVs 11,431 10,591 7.9 14 12.5 Petrol 39,865 48,211 -17.3 47 56.8 Diesel 4,241 4,995 -15.1 5 5.9 Total 84,054 84,886 -1.0 — SMMT UK BEV monthly market shares, govt targets % Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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