The first half of 2026 is already in the past. At the start of H2, industry chain enterprises have begun to release their H1 2026 performance forecasts collectively. Notably, against the backdrop of a significantly higher YoY lithium price center, stable demand in the NEV industry, and a continuously booming energy storage sector, most enterprises in the lithium industry chain expect varying degrees of performance improvement. SMM has compiled the performance forecast situations of some enterprises in the industry chain, as follows:

On April 14, news emerged that Qinghai Salt Lake Industry disclosed its preliminary performance report for the first quarter of 2026. In Q1 2026, the company achieved operating revenue of 6.432 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 94.89%; net profit was 2.939 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 147.44%. During the reporting period, the company's potassium chloride production was approximately 877,300 tons, with sales of approximately 1.3297 million tons; lithium carbonate production was approximately 19,500 tons, with sales of approximately 16,800 tons. Driven by year-on-year increases in sales volume and prices, the profitability of the potassium chloride segment grew significantly.

It is reported that on January 19, the world's first 20,000-tonne desalinated brine adsorption lithium extraction production line was completed and put into operation at Qinghai CITIC Guoan Technology Development Co., Ltd., meeting all performance targets. This achievement follows the company’s earlier commissioning of the world’s first 6,000-tonne-scale demonstration line for extracting battery-grade lithium carbonate from lithium precipitation mother liquor via solvent extraction in 2025. It represents another major industrial breakthrough in the efficient development of salt lake lithium resources and marks a significant step forward in strengthening China’s self-sufficiency in lithium resource supply. The project employs a proprietary desalinated brine adsorption lithium extraction process independently developed by Qinghai CITIC Guoan Technology Development Co., Ltd., supported by multiple patents. Through systematic full-process optimization and technological innovation, it has successfully overcome the long-standing technical bottleneck of high lithium loss during solar pond enrichment. Actual production data show that the technology has increased lithium recovery in solar ponds from less than 50%—the industry norm—to over 78%, while boosting the overall lithium recovery rate in the production plant from 75.38% to 90.41%. The new process also significantly shortens the average production cycle for battery-grade lithium carbonate. It greatly reduces lithium resource losses traditionally associated with solar evaporation, without compromising the comprehensive utilization of associated resources such as potassium and boron. This advancement achieves synergistic improvements in resource efficiency, economic benefits, and environmental performance.

The Qinghai Salt Lake Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently achieved a major breakthrough in lithium extraction and separation technology from salt lakes. By independently designing and synthesizing a new-type lithium-specific extractant, the institute successfully overcame the technical bottleneck of efficiently separating lithium, sodium, and potassium ions from lithium precipitation mother liquor. Furthermore, it systematically resolved the technical challenges of traditional extraction systems in terms of environmental protection, safety, and cost control. This advancement can increase the overall lithium ion recovery rate in lithium carbonate production by 15% to 20%, reduce costs by 30%, and lower water and energy consumption by more than 30% compared to industry standards.

Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co., Ltd. disclosed an announcement regarding the cash acquisition of a 51% stake in Minmetals Salt Lake Co., Ltd. and the related-party transaction. The company intends to pay in cash to purchase the 51% stake in Minmetals Salt Lake Co., Ltd. held by its controlling shareholder, China Salt Lake Industry Group Co., Ltd. The transaction price was determined based on the appraisal report issued by an evaluation agency and negotiated between the two parties, settling at RMB 4,605,162,300.

The price of lithium carbonate continues to hit new annual highs, impacting the entire lithium battery industry.