Australia's Atlantic Lithium has obtained approval from Ghana's parliament to develop the Ewoyaa project—the country's first lithium mine—and will be subject to revised royalty terms linked to market prices.

From March 11 to 13, 2026, the 14th InterBattery 2026 was held at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea. As the largest and most representative battery industry exhibition in South Korea, it is on par with China’s CIBF and CLNB.

[Sinomine Resource Group Engages with the Zimbabwean Government to Restart Its Lithium Export Business] Sinomine Resource Group confirmed that, after this African country recently suspended shipments of lithium concentrates, the company had been actively engaging with Zimbabwean government authorities to restart its lithium export business. The Chinese miner disclosed this development on Friday in response to an investor inquiry via the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s official interactive platform. These talks came at a critical time for both Sinomine Resource Group and Zimbabwe. Lithium remained a sought-after mineral because of its essential role in producing batteries used in EVs and renewable energy storage systems. Zimbabwe, which holds substantial lithium reserves, had continued tightening its regulatory framework to ensure more value addition remained in China, rather than allowing the export of raw ore or materials that had undergone only preliminary processing. Sinomine Resource Group said in a statement that it was currently working closely with Zimbabwean government authorities on a new export approval application. The company stressed that the dialogue remained ongoing and formed part of its broader efforts to align with the country’s latest policies and compliance requirements. Although there was no clear timetable yet for when exports would resume, the engagement sent a positive signal that efforts were being made to resolve the issue. Source: https://www.chemanalyst.com/ [Vulcan Energy Achieves Drilling and Permitting Milestones at Its Geothermal Lithium Project in Germany] The company had officially broken ground at the Trappelberg drilling site in the Rohrbach area near Landau. This was Vulcan’s second drilling site after Schleidberg, where the company had completed the drilling and testing of its first geothermal well. Preparatory work at Trappelberg had begun to support the start of drilling in H2 2026. At present, a deep groundwater monitoring well had been completed to ensure the protection of near-surface aquifers during construction and drilling operations. Schleidberg and Trappelberg were 2 of the 5 new drilling sites that Vulcan would develop in the region. Thorsten Weimann, Chief Development Officer and Managing Director of Vulcan Energie Ressourcen GmbH, said: “The groundbreaking ceremony at Trappelberg marks an important step forward in the further development of our Lionheart project. With this new drilling site, we are further developing the geothermal reservoir and laying the foundation for climate-neutral heating in the region and sustainable lithium production in Europe.” Source: https://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/ [Core Lithium’s Finniss Project Secures a Strategic Financing Package of AUD 290 million] The fundamentals of global battery demand were reshaping investment strategies in the critical minerals sector, placing Australia’s lithium industry at a critical turning point. The combined effects of supply chain diversification needs, advances in energy storage technology, and geopolitical factors have created an environment in which strategic positioning determines the long-term value creation potential of mining. In addition, the restart of Core Lithium's Finniss project, backed by A$290 million, demonstrates how well-developed critical minerals strategies can unlock previously stalled projects through innovative financing structures. Against this backdrop, complex financing structures and operational optimization approaches have become key differentiators for projects seeking to capture the evolving market dynamics of the current lithium investment cycle. The sophisticated financing structure underpinning the restart of Core Lithium's Finniss project shows that contemporary mining finance has evolved beyond traditional debt-and-equity models into a strategic consortium model that disperses risk while maximizing operational synergies. Moreover, this financing approach reflects a broader trend across the mining sector. Source: https://discoveryalert.com.au/ [Copper, Cobalt, and Lithium Mines: US Critical Minerals Growth] In early 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with senior US officials including Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, received representatives from 54 countries and the European Commission at the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting. The US announced new bilateral frameworks, financing initiatives exceeding $30 billion, and launched the Forum for Resource and Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), aimed at building secure, diversified, and resilient critical minerals supply chains. Initiatives such as the Orion-Glencore memorandum of understanding and "Project Vault" indicate the US government's commitment to incentivizing private-sector investment and ensuring a stable and reliable supply of cobalt, copper, and other strategic materials, including those from the DRC. Source: https://miningdigital.com/ [Atlantic Lithium's Ewoyaa Project Financing Secures a Strategic Investment of $16.4 million] The global critical minerals landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation, and institutional capital allocation strategies have moved beyond traditional mining investment models. Pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and strategic investors now require more sophisticated financing structures to align long-term capital commitments with project de-risking milestones. This shift indicates the growing maturity of financing in the resources sector, which is moving away from speculative early-stage funding toward a more infrastructure-like investment approach that places greater emphasis on predictable returns rather than commodity price speculation. Contemporary lithium project development reflects this evolution, with financing solutions from diversified funding sources incorporating conditional capital structures, local ownership requirements, and ESG compliance frameworks. The combination of milestone-based warrant instruments, strategic partnership agreements, and domestic exchange listings has created an integrated financing ecosystem that balances capital efficiency with political and economic considerations. In addition, these innovations in the lithium industry are continuing to reshape the investment landscape. Source: https://discoveryalert.com.au/

In 2026, the correction in lithium carbonate prices drove up lithium battery production costs. Coupled with uncertainties in lithium resources supply, cost pressure across the new energy industry became increasingly prominent. Leveraging the advantages of abundant sodium resources, balanced distribution, and controllable costs, sodium-ion batteries have leapt from being a “backup option” for lithium batteries to a key direction for industry breakthrough...

Current manufacturer expectations for this month and April remain cautious, with some companies having already lowered their April production forecasts.

Russia’s Solikamsk Magnesium Works recently launched industrialised production of magnesium alloys containing rare earth elements such as neodymium, cerium, and lanthanum. The products combine lightweight properties with high strength and are mainly targeted at sectors including aerospace and automotive manufacturing. The plant accounts for 100% of Russia’s rare earth compound production and 75% of its magnesium capacity, and this capacity expansion further consolidates its position in the strategic metals sector. Meanwhile, the “magnesium-based hydrogen slurry” technology developed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute has sparked controversy. Independent analysis indicated that the technology’s overall system efficiency is only about 10, its energy density is comparable to that of lithium batteries, its cost is far higher than expectations, and its recycling chain has yet to form a closed loop. It is only suitable for demonstration scenarios at the hundred-watt level and is unlikely to achieve commercial application. The two pieces of news reflect the different technological pathways and industrialisation prospects of magnesium-based materials in high-end manufacturing and energy storage.

This week, lithium ore prices continued to follow lithium carbonate in a fluctuating downward trend. Supply side, the volume of cargoes available for circulation in the market gradually decreased recently, while mines outside China showed stronger willingness to make shipments amid fluctuations, with some mines outside China conducting several auctions during the week. Demand side, inquiries and procurement sentiment for lithium ore remained relatively strong, but due to the large recent market fluctuations, back-and-forth negotiations between upstream and downstream intensified, and wait-and-see sentiment persisted, though overall transaction activity improved. Overall market transaction prices continued to follow the fluctuating trend in lithium carbonate futures.

Raw material side, spot lithium carbonate prices fluctuated this week, cobalt sulphate prices remained temporarily stable, and nickel sulphate prices dropped slightly.

Spot Lithium Carbonate Fluctuated Downward from 3.16-3.19.

SMM, March 19: This week, Chinese aluminum fluoride enterprises mainly focused on order deliveries, with aluminum fluoride prices holding steady. As of now, SMM aluminum fluoride prices closed at 10,180-10,450 yuan/mt; cryolite prices also held steady, with SMM cryolite quoted at 7,000-8,500 yuan/mt. Raw material side: Prices of key raw materials for aluminum fluoride continued to rise. Specifically, the delivery-to-factory price of 97% fluorite powder remained stable, currently concentrated in the range of 3,150-3,450 yuan/mt. During the Two Sessions, mining at northern mines was restricted, leading to a temporary tight supply of fluorite raw ore; some beneficiation plants showed strong sentiment to hold prices firm due to relatively low inventory levels, and downstream hydrofluoric acid enterprises slightly recovered in operating demand after resuming work following the holiday. SMM expected fluorite prices to hold up well in the short term. Aluminum hydroxide prices edged up steadily, with the current SMM weighted average price at 1,673 yuan/mt, up 1.52% WoW. The sulphuric acid market remained firm, and prices continued to rise amid higher costs, tightening supply, and strong demand. Overall, the raw material side of aluminum fluoride moved higher, and production pressure on enterprises increased significantly. Supply side showed a pattern of rigid cost increases, deeply pressured profitability, and weak willingness to operate. Recently, prices of key raw materials such as fluorite, sulphuric acid, and aluminum hydroxide continued to rise, significantly pushing up aluminum fluoride production costs. The industry was caught in a squeeze from both costs and selling prices, with enterprises generally operating at a loss. Production enthusiasm was hit hard, overall industry operating rates remained in the doldrums, and actual supply increases were limited. On the demand side, operating aluminum capacity downstream remained stable, forming a rigid demand base for aluminum fluoride; however, enterprises mainly restocked for rigid demand and purchased as needed, with cautious procurement and insufficient demand elasticity to boost prices. Brief comment: This week, prices of key raw materials such as fluorite and sulphuric acid held up well, and the cost side continued to rise, significantly increasing production pressure on enterprises; in March, the aluminum fluoride tender price of a downstream benchmark enterprise was finalized, down 200-370 yuan/mt MoM, and the spot market also moved in the doldrums under its guidance. At present, the industry is facing a two-way squeeze of rising costs and selling prices under pressure, narrowing profit margins and dampening production enthusiasm. Fundamentally: Cost side: fluorite and sulphuric acid prices remained firm, providing clear bottom support for aluminum fluoride. Supply side: industry operating rates stayed in the doldrums, with no significant increase in production, and overall supply and demand remained subdued. Demand side: rigid demand from aluminum remained stable, but there was no obvious incremental growth, and procurement was mainly as needed. Overall, the strong support effect from fluorite and sulphuric acid on the cost side became more prominent, coupled with low industry operating rates and shrinking supply. Aluminum fluoride's price center is expected to move steadily higher next month, showing a mild strengthening trend. Going forward, close and continuous attention should be paid to dynamic changes on the raw material cost side, as well as marginal adjustments in the procurement pace of downstream aluminum enterprises.