China's stainless steel industry is rapidly transitioning into a high-quality growth phase, with apparent consumption projected to reach 34.45 million mt in 2026. Shifting away from traditional industry reliance, the market's primary expansion engines are now new energy and high-end equipment manufacturing, bolstered by steady support from infrastructure, medical health, and marine engineering. The global energy transition is significantly boosting the need for corrosion-resistant materials in lithium battery equipment and hydrogen storage, while domestic upgrades demand high-performance alloys for aerospace and precision machinery.

Recently, China's first water-based organic flow battery distributed energy storage project was officially put into operation in Suqian Economic Development Zone, Jiangsu Province, with a parallel project simultaneously launched in Chuzhou, Anhui Province. The core of this project utilizes water-based organic flow battery technology, where energy is stored in a liquid electrolyte and charging/discharging is achieved through the circulating flow of the electrolyte. By replacing traditional strong acid electrolytes with a neutral aqueous solution, it offers outstanding advantages in intrinsic safety and environmental friendliness.

Mar 23 - The China Development Forum 2026 opened in Beijing yesterday. Wan Jinsong, Deputy Director of the NEA, stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan", China will actively promote diverse clean energy sources, including wind, photovoltaics (PV), nuclear, and biomass, building a resilient new energy system with multi-energy complementarity. China will also drive the deep integration of energy and digital revolutions. Furthermore, China will uphold an open and cooperative attitude to jointly maintain the stability of the global new energy supply chain, establish a transparent and non-discriminatory international energy market, and facilitate the global free flow of new energy products, technologies, and services.

[SMM Hydrogen Energy Brief] On March 16, Guofu (Jinan) Hydrogen Energy Technology Development Co., Ltd. was established with a registered capital of 2 million yuan, and its legal representative is Ding Leizhe. Equity information shows that the company is 80% held by Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. and 20% held by Zhejiang Lingniu Yishi New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Geopolitical tensions in West Asia have disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, tightening LPG and natural gas supply to India. With gas diverted to households, according to the Aluminium Extrusion Manufacturers Association of India industrial supply has been cut by 50–80%, severely impacting energy-intensive aluminum extrusion. Around 25 plants have been shut down while ~200 operate at reduced rates, dragging monthly output from ~70,000 mt to ~45,000 mt. The supply-driven disruption is tightening downstream availability and supporting aluminum product premiums.

SMM News: As of March 20, 2026, the market price for Praseodymium-Neodymium (Pr-Nd) metal in China stabilized temporarily at 890,000–910,000 RMB/ton. This article utilizes the SMM Pr-Nd Terminal Demand Calculation Model to dissect the demand logic for 2026 across three core sectors—New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, and Wind Power—explaining the current supply-demand dilemma facing the NdFeB magnet and broader Pr-Nd markets.