Solid-state batteries were a hot topic at the 2026 Two Sessions, where delegates noted that the industry is at a critical inflection point, moving from “samples” to “products.”

Ouyang Minggao pointed out that large-scale mass production of all-solid-state batteries will still require 3–5 years, with test vehicles expected to appear by the end of 2026. Sulphide electrolyte has fallen from 20 million/mt to the million-level range. However, he stressed that the technical difficulty is extremely high and advised consumers that they “need not wait,” as LFP batteries remain the “ballast stone” at present.

[Spot Silicon Metal Prices Probe Higher as Market Transactions Remain Stagnant; Polysilicon Price Trend Declines]: On the supply side, production release from silicon metal capacity that resumed production in early March increased total silicon metal supply compared with early March. Recently, there have been scattered production resumptions in Southwest China, but these have not yet become widespread, so their impact on supply growth has been very limited. On the cost side, spot prices of silicon coal and electrodes have remained temporarily stable recently, while petroleum coke prices rose slightly. Coupled with higher gasoline prices, road transport freight rates were raised slightly, providing relatively strong cost support for silicon metal. On the demand side, performance has mainly remained stable recently. During the week, spot silicon metal transactions were stagnant, inventory in the intermediate segment stayed at a high level, and downstream demand was weak, so silicon metal prices had limited room to rise or fall and were mainly range-bound in consolidation.

The University of Tsukuba in Japan successfully developed a new-type magnesium-air solid-state battery, using a nitrogen-doped porous graphene cathode to solve the problem of chloride corrosion, providing a high-safety, low-cost technological pathway for flexible electronics and wearable devices. At the same time, the Record Ridge magnesium mine project in British Columbia, Canada, has triggered strong opposition from the local tourism community over plans to transport ore to China for processing, and has been halted by litigation, with a court hearing scheduled for March 10. The two developments respectively highlight magnesium’s cutting-edge applications in new energy technology and the real-world tensions in resource development.

The market price of silicon electrodes edged down during the year. Currently, the types of electrodes used by downstream industrial silicon manufacturers are also different according to their production and smelting habits.

SHANGHAI, May 19 (SMM) – Electrode prices temporarily stabilised this week as raw material prices stopped falling.

Electrode prices temporarily stabilised this week as raw material prices rebounded slightly.

【Cost Support for Electrodes Used in Silicon Production Continues to Strengthen, but Price Increases Remain Challenging】Under the continued weakness in silicon metal prices, fluctuations in the cost of silicon metal have drawn significant attention. In particular, the price of calcined petroleum coke, a key material in the cost structure of electrodes used in silicon production, has been rising steadily for months. With the strengthening cost support, whether the prices of electrodes used in silicon production will see further increases has become a focal point of attention.

As the silicon metal market remains weak, the entire silicon industry chain is under pressure.

1. Procurement Conditions This procurement project for Titanium Industry and Guo Titanium Graphite Electrodes (RP φ700) (PGPWZBHGXHD260226269612) is procured by the Materials Business Division Headquarters of Pangang Group Materials Trading Co., Ltd. The procurement project funds are self-raised. The project has met the procurement conditions and is now conducting an open inquiry and comparison. 2. Project Overview and Procurement Scope 2.1 Project Name: Titanium Industry and Guo Titanium Graphite Electrodes (RP φ700) 2.2 Procurement Failure Leads to Other Procurement Methods: Switch to Negotiated Procurement 2.3 The procurement content, scope, and scale for this project are detailed in the attachment "Material List Attachment.pdf". 3. Bidder Qualification Requirements 3.1 This procurement does not allow consortium bidding. 3.2 This procurement requires the bidder to possess the following qualification requirements: See attachment for details (if required) 3.3 This procurement requires the bidder to meet the following registered capital requirement: Manufacturing type registered capital: 2 million yuan or more 3.4 This procurement requires the bidder to possess the following performance requirements: The bidder must provide supply performance records (scanned copies of invoices) for the same specification graphite electrode (RPφ700) products from January 1, 2023, up to the bid submission deadline. Failure to upload supply performance records for Pangang Titanium Industry will be considered as a new supplier. 3.5 This procurement requires the bidder to possess the following capability requirements, financial requirements, and other requirements: Financial requirements: See attachment for details (if required) Capability requirements: See attachment for details (if required) Other requirements: 1. The bidder shall possess legal business qualifications (able to provide a valid copy of the business license with annual inspection), and shall be verified as valid through public websites such as Qixinbao, Tianyancha, and Qichacha. 2. From January 1, 2023, to the bid submission deadline, there shall be no records of serious violations in business activities (based on the enterprise data analysis of the Ansteel Intelligent Bidding Platform). 3.6 For this procurement project, which by law must undergo bidding, bids submitted by discredited persons subject to enforcement shall be deemed invalid. 4. Acquisition of Procurement Documents 4.1 All interested bidders are invited to download the electronic procurement documents from the Ansteel Intelligent Bidding Platform (http://bid.ansteel.cn) between 13:45 on February 27, 2026 and 13:45 on March 6, 2026 (Beijing Time, the same hereinafter). Click to view bidding details: