Samsung SDI is converting part of the production lines at StarPlus Energy, its U.S. electric vehicle battery joint venture plant, to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for energy storage systems (ESS). The conversion applies to part of the lines at StarPlus Energy Plant 1. Rather than adding a separate new production line, Samsung SDI is modifying existing high-nickel nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) battery lines to accommodate LFP battery production.

Italian energy giant Eni and battery energy storage company Seri Industrial have signed an agreement to jointly develop an industrial supply chain for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, the two companies disclosed on Friday. In a joint statement, the partners said the collaboration will be carried out through their respective subsidiaries Eni Industrial Evolution and FIB. The scope includes the production of LFP battery cells and modules, as well as the assembly of stationary energy storage systems for the industrial and commercial sectors and systems for electric mobility.

On May 17, Gotion High-Tech unveiled its fifth-generation lithium iron phosphate (LFP) all-scenario battery lineup at the company's 15th Global Technology Conference — comprising the G-Ke 2nd Generation Super Fast-Charging Passenger Vehicle Battery and the G-Qing Ultra-Long Lifespan Battery for Passenger Vehicles, Commercial Vehicles, and Energy Storage.

On the 17th, the U.S. government officially confirmed that Tesla is the partner in a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery supply agreement worth approximately KRW 6 trillion ($4.3 billion) signed by LG Energy Solution in July last year.

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.

Energy Storage Focus: LFP Batteries Emerge as a Second Marginal Increment to Sulfur Demand

Eni and Seri Industrial’s subsidiary Fib have launched their joint venture Eni Storage Systems in Brindisi, Italy, to develop a lithium battery project with a target annual output of over 8 GWh of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, primarily for stationary energy storage. The project is currently in the engineering and economic feasibility assessment stage, expected to be completed by Q1 2026 before moving into execution. The Brindisi facility will cover cathode material production and battery assembly (BESS), and will later expand into battery recycling, forming an integrated supply chain with the Teverola plant. The two companies aim to capture over 10% of Europe’s stationary battery market, driving sustainability and the energy transition.

[SMM Analysis] This article introduces knowledge related to energy storage in a straightforward manner by addressing three questions: What is energy storage? Why do we need energy storage? How is energy storage implemented? At its core, energy storage is a technological system designed to address the temporal and spatial mismatches in electricity supply and demand, enabling the transfer of energy across time through forms such as chemical energy (e.g., batteries) and potential energy (e.g., pumped hydro storage). Its core architecture comprises four major modules: energy storage battery cells serve as the energy carriers, with the LFP route dominating the market; PCS converters facilitate AC-DC conversion; the BMS system monitors the safety of tens of thousands of battery cells in real time; and the EMS system optimizes charging and discharging strategies based on electricity price signals. The primary demand for energy storage covers the power generation and grid side, as well as the demand side. Current technological iterations focus on large-capacity battery cells, such as the 587Ah cell from CATL and the 684Ah cell used in combination by Sungrow.

This week in wet process recycling: Recycled materials: Cobalt sulfate prices continued to decline this week, nickel salt prices remained stable, while lithium salt prices saw a minor rebound. Recovery rates for ternary and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) black mass continued to fall, while lithium content in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) black mass remained temporarily steady. Taking ternary black mass as an example: Currently, due to the prolonged low price of lithium carbonate, the revenue contribution from lithium is lower than that from nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate under these conditions. Therefore, most ternary wet-process enterprises now price the nickel-cobalt and lithium recovery rates in ternary black mass separately. For instance, the current recovery rate for nickel-cobalt in ternary electrode sheet black mass is 74-76%, while the lithium recovery rate is 71-74%.

In May, China's power battery installation volume reached 57.1 gigawatt-hours (GWh), marking a 5.5% month-on-month (MoM) increase and a 43.1% year-on-year (YoY) surge, according to the China Automotiv...