This week, spot lithium carbonate prices retreated after a rapid rise and fluctuated downward overall. SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate prices continued to pull back, with industrial-grade lithium carbonate largely moving in sync. The futures market saw wild swings, with the price range of the most-traded contract fluctuating down from 170,000-173,000 yuan/mt at the beginning of the week to 154,300-162,800 yuan/mt. Intraday volatility was significant on each trading day, open interest continued to decline, and capital participation weakened. Market transactions remained sluggish, with upstream and downstream psychological price levels diverging further. Upstream lithium chemical plants saw stronger sentiment to hold prices firm and withhold sales this week, with relatively weak willingness to sell spot orders, and quoted prices generally staying above 164,000 yuan/mt. Downstream material plants, however, saw long-term contract volumes and customer-supplied volumes arrive successively at the beginning of the month, and, coupled with restocking through dip-buying at the start of last week, held relatively sufficient inventory at the beginning of the month. Purchase willingness was relatively weak, with only just-in-time procurement maintained, and the psychological purchase price level was basically around 155,000 yuan/mt. Market inquiries were moderate, but actual transactions were relatively mediocre. This week's price decline was mainly driven by the combined impact of multiple factors: First, supply side, repeated market rumors surrounding mines in Zimbabwe and Jiangxi continued to ferment, prompting some funds to close positions and exit, which became an important force pushing prices lower. As prices retreated from highs, earlier bulls showed stronger willingness to take profits; meanwhile, open interest continued to decline, reflecting increasingly cautious market sentiment. In addition, escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East increased uncertainty from the macro perspective, also putting some pressure on prices. Capital flows were characterized by continued position reductions and rollovers into deferred-month contracts. Futures open interest continued its declining trend this week, with position reductions of varying degrees on each trading day. It is worth noting that open interest between the 2605 contract and the 2609 contract has already shifted, indicating that funds are gradually moving to deferred months and that the market's willingness to participate in the short-term market has declined. Looking ahead, the market is expected to maintain a relatively strong pattern in the short term. Supply side, continued attention is still needed on the recovery of shipments from Zimbabwean mines and on when Jiangxi mines will resume production; demand side, the intensive launch of new car models in April is expected to drive marginal demand improvement. Lithium carbonate prices are expected to remain relatively strong in the short term.

Recently, Xinjiang Blue Diamond Lithium Energy Technology Co., Ltd. published the first official public notice for the environmental impact assessment of its lithium salt production project. The project is located in Toksun County, Turpan City, Xinjiang, with a total investment of 2.5 billion yuan. It will include a production line capable of producing 35,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate and 935 tons of anhydrous lithium chloride per year, along with supporting facilities such as a raw material preparation area, pyrometallurgical area, leaching and electrolysis area, and production area.

Located in Jiaoyang New Materials Industrial Park, the project uses crude lithium carbonate as raw material and adopts carbonization plus resin-based deep impurity removal to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. The output will be supplied to the group’s internal lithium iron phosphate cathode material line, forming a closed loop of “lithium resources – lithium carbonate – cathode materials.” After completing industrial-grade and battery-grade production trials, the next step is to optimize processes and achieve a smooth transition to full-scale operation.

Today, SMM's spot battery-grade lithium carbonate price fluctuated downward from the previous working day, while the most-traded futures contract also moved lower. After the opening, the price once climbed above 170,000 yuan/mt, then fluctuated downward all the way and finally closed at 157,000 yuan/mt.

Spot Lithium Carbonate Fluctuated Upward on 3.23-3.26.

On March 16, 2026, Xi'an Lanshen New Material Technology Co., Ltd. announced the formal termination of the "Sales Contract for a 3,000 Tons/Year Battery-Grade Lithium Carbonate Extraction Plant" signed with HANACOLLA S.A. from Argentina. The core reason for this contract termination was a change in the overall project planning. Given that the "Sales Contract" was still within its validity period and partially fulfilled, the two parties reached an agreement after friendly negotiations. According to the signed "Termination Agreement," the original sales contract will be terminated from the date of the agreement's signing.

[SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Prices Fluctuated Upward on March 13] SMM's battery-grade lithium carbonate index price fluctuated upward from the previous working day. Futures trend, the most-traded contract fluctuated higher after opening and once climbed to around 163,000 yuan/mt; after the midday session, the price reversed downward and once fell to 150,000 yuan/mt near the close, then fluctuated rangebound at low levels until the close. As of the close, open interest for the day decreased by about 8,500 lots from the previous trading day. Actual transactions, upstream lithium chemical plants showed a clear reluctance to sell and held prices firm, while willingness to sell spot orders remained weak; downstream material plants still mainly stayed cautious and on the sidelines, maintaining only just-in-time procurement. Overall, both market inquiries and actual transactions were sluggish. As for subsequent price movements, given that downstream procurement sentiment remained cautious and the market lacked sustained momentum to chase higher prices, lithium carbonate prices were expected to continue a fluctuating trend in the short term.

[CleanTech Is About to Sign a 40-Year Operating Contract With the Chilean Government for the Laguna Verde Lithium Project] CleanTech Lithium, an Anglo-Australian company, is about to sign a 40-year contract with the Chilean government to develop the Laguna Verde lithium project in the Atacama Region, enabling it to advance extraction of this mineral at one of the salt lakes opened to the private sector. After reaching agreement with the Ministry of Mining on the terms of the Special Lithium Operating Contract (CEOL), Chile’s Office of the Comptroller General is now expected to approve the document in Q2 2026. CleanTech, its subsidiary Atacama Salt Lakes, and minority shareholders that are among the consortium members established to advance the Laguna Verde project have begun celebrating this new phase, as it provides greater certainty for their investment. [Rio Tinto Begins Commercial Lithium Exports From the Rincon Project] Rio Tinto’s milestone achievement in commencing commercial lithium exports from the Rincon project marked a pivotal moment for the global lithium market. Miners are currently contending with the complex interplay of resource scarcity, geopolitical tensions, and the accelerating popularization of EVs. The traditional supply-chain dependencies that have defined battery materials sourcing for decades are being reshaped by new producers launching commercial operations in previously underexplored regions. These developments signify not merely a slight increase in capacity, but a fundamental shift in how critical minerals move from extraction sites to manufacturing hubs, with implications far beyond quarterly production data. Rio Tinto’s commercial lithium exports from the Rincon project reflected its prudent positioning in one of the world’s most fiercely contested mining regions for this mineral. Following the suspension of the Jadar project in Serbia in 2025, the company shipped 200 mt of battery-grade lithium carbonate from Buenos Aires to Shanghai in March 2026, marking the official start of operations at its core South American lithium asset. The timing of this market entry reflected broader industry dynamics across the Lithium Triangle. Argentina’s regulatory environment has increasingly favoured large-scale international mining operations. In addition, the Rincon project is located in Salta Province, placing Rio Tinto within a geographic cluster that contains significant global lithium resources across Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. [The Geothermal Plant Behind Europe’s Lithium Push] The town of Landau in der Pfalz, near the French-German border, has long been at the heart of the local winemaking industry. The region is also home to the Upper Rhine Valley brine fields, which contain Europe’s largest lithium resources and have now made it a hub for Europe’s push to advance EV development. The planned integrated geothermal-lithium extraction plant forms part of renewable energy producer Vulcan Energy’s ambition to build a carbon-neutral EV supply chain in Europe. The project will use geothermal wells to extract lithium-rich brine from depths of up to 5 kilometers. The high-temperature brine will be pumped to the surface, where lithium will be extracted before being transported to a plant. There, the lithium will be converted through electrolysis into lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM). The brine will then be reinjected underground, while LHM will be delivered to offtakers, including automaker Stellantis, which owns automotive brands such as Citroen and Peugeot. [Liontown's Interim Loss Widens as It Bets on a Recovery in Lithium Prices] Australia's Liontown said on Thursday that its loss widened in H1 due to a non-cash accounting charge, and added that it is evaluating potential expansion options for its Kathleen Valley mine as lithium prices are expected to rise. The miner of this raw material used in EV batteries has been seeing an initial price recovery after nearly two years of weakness. Previously, EV adoption was slower than generally expected, resulting in oversupply. Liontown said in its December quarter report that prices improved, with the selling price reaching $900/mt, up 28% from the previous quarter. As its flagship project transitioned to underground mining, the company sold 190,000 mt of spodumene, a lithium raw material, in H1. Source: https://www.investing.com

This week, spot lithium carbonate prices moved sideways, with the center edging slightly lower. At the start of the week (March 9), prices dropped slightly, then fluctuated upward over the following two days, before turning lower again on Thursday (March 12). The weekly average price center of SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate shifted lower WoW. Futures moved wildly, with prices of the most-traded contract posting wide swings between 142,000 yuan/mt and 167,300 yuan/mt. Market transactions were marked by a stalemate of "upstream reluctance to sell, downstream caution." Upstream lithium chemical plants generally showed weak willingness to sell spot orders, with a sentiment of holding back sales and holding prices firm throughout the week, and only a few enterprises made limited shipments when prices surged. Downstream material plants maintained a strategy of buying the dip. When futures prices quickly fell to relatively low levels, purchase willingness among some enterprises increased somewhat; however, after prices rose, they quickly turned cautious again, with insufficient willingness to chase higher prices. Overall, inquiry activity was moderate, but actual transactions were slightly sluggish. Looking ahead, the market is expected to remain in the doldrums in the short term. Upstream lithium chemical plants' reluctance to sell provided some support to prices, but downstream purchase willingness remained weak, lacking sustained demand boost. Against a backdrop of cooling futures market sentiment and declining open interest, prices lacked momentum to rise, while downside was constrained by costs and support from reluctance to sell. Lithium carbonate prices are expected to fluctuate in the short term.

[SMM Daily Review: March 9 Spot Lithium Carbonate Prices Dropped Slightly] The SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate index price dropped slightly from the previous business day. Futures side, the most-traded contract opened lower and quickly slid to 142,000 yuan/mt, then bottomed out and rebounded, rallying to an intraday high of 165,000 yuan/mt, with open interest once increasing by about 10,000 lots; afterward, prices fluctuated rangebound around 160,000 yuan/mt. As of the close, open interest for the day fell by 3,200 lots from the previous trading day. In terms of actual transactions, spot order shipments from upstream lithium chemical plants remained scarce, with a strong willingness to hold prices firm amid reluctance to sell. Downstream material plants continued the buy-the-dip strategy; while some enterprises purchased at lower price levels, most remained cautious and on the sidelines. Overall, market inquiries were relatively active, but actual transactions were still sluggish.