[SMM Steel] Talks to sell Thyssenkrupp’s steel division (TKSE) to India's Jindal Steel International have stalled. Juergen Kerner, deputy chairman of Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board, stated that Jindal has failed to respond to a detailed questionnaire from labor representatives despite conducting due diligence since October. The German side warned that the deal must not remain in limbo for months, as labor unions seek clarity on job security and investment commitments.

SMM March 20 News: According to an official announcement from Qingdao Manganese Series Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership), it invites qualified bidders to submit sealed bids for the selenium dioxide project for electrolytic manganese production. Component requirements: SeO₂ ≥ 98%. Total tender quantity: Approximately 169 tons. Bid deadline: 9:00 AM (Beijing Time), March 23, 2026.

The National Development and Reform Commission recently launched a new batch of 13 landmark major foreign-invested projects, with planned investment totaling $13.4 billion. The newly selected projects are mainly concentrated in manufacturing, including electronics manufacturing, chemicals, automobiles, machinery, and other sectors, accelerating the development of industrial clusters. This year marks the ninth time that the National Development and Reform Commission has updated the list of landmark major foreign-invested projects. Landmark major foreign-invested projects are characterized by large investment scale, strong industrial spillover effects, and prominent technological leadership.

India's Solarium Green Energy has commissioned a 1 GW fully automated solar module facility in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Backed by an INR 900 million investment, the plant manufactures high-efficiency 'G12' modules up to 725 Wp using 'TOPCon', half-cut, and bifacial technologies. This move toward backward integration aims to secure Solarium's 'EPC' supply chain, boost margins, and potentially generate over INR 10 billion in annual revenue.

On March 18, the Chairman of Chery Automobile stated that Chery's solid-state battery pilot production line has developed cells with different energy density levels and is currently conducting extensive rigorous testing. Chery's future investment in all-solid-state batteries will have no upper limit. It is reported that Chery's Rhino Battery S series includes a 60Ah, 400Wh/kg solid-state battery utilizing a sulfide-based solid electrolyte system and high-nickel ternary cathode materials; and a 600Wh/kg solid-state battery using an in-situ polymerization solid electrolyte system and lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials, achieving a range of over 1500+ km.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) has begun the environmental permitting process for a $7.5 billion expansion of its majority owned El Abra copper mine in ChileThe project, owned 51% by Freeport and 49% by state-owned Codelco, is the largest mining investment submitted to Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) since at least 1992. The plan includes a new concentrator, a desalination plant, a water pumping system, expanded mine infrastructure and continued leaching. Production is expected to begin in 2033 if regulators approve the project, Diario Financiero reported.

[SMM Hydrogen Energy Express] On March 16, Zhongxin Nenghua conducted an inquiry-based procurement for the feasibility study of the Duolun Coal Chemical coal-based process biomass co-firing coupled with green electricity for green methanol production project, as well as technical consulting services for green methanol certification. The principal entity was Datang Inner Mongolia Duolun Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. It was understood that the Datang Duolun 150,000 kW wind and solar power hydrogen production integration demonstration project was China’s first medium-to-large-scale scientific and technological demonstration project for deep coupling of off-grid wind and solar power hydrogen production with coal chemical engineering. The project was invested in and constructed by Datang Duolun Ruiyuan New Energy Co., Ltd., with a total investment of approximately 1.3 billion yuan. Construction officially commenced in November 2023, construction officially commenced in November 2023, hydrogen was successfully produced on December 29, 2024, and the project was officially connected to the grid and put into operation on January 17, 2025.

Fulin Precision has announced a major capital injection of 1.004 billion yuan into its project company, Inner Mongolia Fulin Era New Energy Material, to accelerate the development of its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) facilities in Ordos. The investment was led by the subsidiary Jiangxi Shenghua (779 million yuan), alongside Qianyuan Huizhi and Jiebao Investment. Consequently, Fulin Era's registered capital has surged from 1 million to over 1.005 billion yuan.

Vientiane recently marked a major milestone in China-Laos green industrial cooperation—Krittaphong Group Co., Ltd. and CGN Energy Technology (Laos) Co., Ltd., together with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Laos and Oudomxay Province, officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Oudomxay AI Green Electricity Eco-Aluminum Industrial Park Project. Tang Danzhong, Deputy General Manager of Guangxi Investment Group, and Lin Rui, Chairman of Electricite du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), attended the signing ceremony as witnesses, fully demonstrating all parties’ firm confidence in and full support for the project’s smooth implementation. The project will center on 500,000 mt of aluminum capacity, alongside the supporting development of a 2 million kW clean energy base, and is expected to join hands with Guangxi Investment Group, a core industrial investor, to build a complete eco-industrial base for the entire aluminum industry chain.

[SMM Steel] Tata Steel Limited announced on March 18, 2026, the merger of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nilachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL), to consolidate its long products business. The merger aims to enhance management efficiency and accelerate capacity expansion at the Odisha mill from 0.98 million mt to 4.8 million mt. Additionally, the board approved a $2 billion investment in its Singapore-based subsidiary, T Steel Holdings Pte Ltd (TSHP), starting in FY 2026-27 to support overseas operations, fund capex, and restructure existing debts.