[Black Mass Imports: Policy Channel Open, Yet Market Circulation Still Faces Multiple Bottlenecks] On June 1, 2025, a joint announcement by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the General Administration of Customs officially took effect, removing compliant waste lithium-ion battery powder from the Catalogue of Solid Wastes Forbidden from Import and subjecting it to import management as ordinary goods. This marked a long-awaited policy breakthrough for China’s lithium battery recycling industry—prior to this, the channel for raw materials from outside China had never been legally accessible, and the industry relied almost entirely on domestically retired power batteries and off-cuts from battery factories.

On July 30, 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued Announcement No. 20 of 2026, officially repealing all provisions related to "echelon utilization" under the Industry Norm Conditions for Comprehensive Utilization of Spent Power Batteries from New Energy Vehicles (2024 Edition), and removing all 100 previously certified "echelon utilization" enterprises from the list of compliant entities.

Capacity side, according to incomplete statistics, China's alkaline electrolyzer market remained at 43.77 GW, and the PEM electrolyzer market at 2.7 GW. This week, there was no public offline delivery information. Project-related developments: Hebei Yonglu Technology Co., Ltd.: The Cangzhou Lingang Economic and Technological Development Zone announced the environmental impact assessment approval decision for the hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and liquid ammonia pipeline transportation project of Hebei Yonglu Technology Co., Ltd. The project is located in the East Zone of Cangzhou Lingang Economic and Technological Development Zone, relying on the park's public pipe gallery to build three pipelines for hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and liquid ammonia, starting from Zhengyuan Hydrogen and ending at Dahua Juhai Branch. The total investment of the project is 26.3938 million yuan, with environmental protection investment of 135,000 yuan, accounting for 0.5% of total investment. The route passes through protective greenbelts, park roads, and enterprises, and does not involve residential areas or ecologically sensitive areas. Once completed, the project will be able to deliver 144 million Nm³ of hydrogen, 96 million Nm³ of carbon monoxide, and 165,000 mt of liquid ammonia annually. Zhejiang Haizhuo New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: The Silicon Bipolar Plate, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Stack and System, PEM Electrolyzer and System R&D Project of Zhejiang Haizhuo New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. has completed filing in the Jiaxing Economic and Technological Development Zone. The project is an expansion, with a total investment of $2.2185 million, planned to start construction in September 2026 without phased construction arrangements. The project relies on the existing 2,306 m² plant, introduces multiple sets of advanced R&D equipment to build an R&D platform, and conducts R&D on silicon bipolar plates, fuel cell stacks, and PEM electrolyzer systems. This project only conducts laboratory R&D testing, does not produce hydrogen, does not involve the production of vehicle power batteries, and does not include water electrolysis hydrogen production or hydrogen purification facilities. Diaobingshan Huadian Clean Energy Co., Ltd.: The Liaoning Huadian Diaobingshan 450 MW Wind Power-to-Hydrogen Coupled Green Methanol Integrated Demonstration Project has issued an open tender announcement for hydrogen production make-up water pumps and caustic make-up pumps. The project is planned to construct 450 MW of wind power, 295 MW of hydrogen production equipment, and 80 MW/80 MWh energy storage, with a hydrogen storage capacity of 400,000 Nm³ (35.7 mt), an annual hydrogen production capacity of 19,000 mt, and supporting a green methanol production capacity of 100,000 mt/year. This project does not accept bids from consortiums or agents. Shaanxi Huaqin New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. : Shaanxi Huifeng Zhongrui Electric Power Engineering Co., Ltd. has won the electrical engineering procurement project for the No. 3 large-scale electrolyzer assembly workshop of the Phase I hydrogen equipment manufacturing center of Shaanxi Huaqin New Energy, from PowerChina Henan Engineering Company. Shaanxi Yushen Energy Thermal Power Co., Ltd.: The Yushen Qingshui Thermal Power 2×660 MW Unit Hydrogen System Equipment Procurement Project has issued an open tender announcement. The project is planned to construct 2×660 MW high-efficiency ultra-supercritical indirect air-cooled coal-fired units, equipped with full-capacity limestone-wet flue gas desulfurization, flue gas denitrification devices, and auxiliary facilities, with a total land area of approximately 44.2484 hectares and a total investment of approximately 5.3 billion yuan. This project does not accept consortium bids, but agents are allowed to bid. Shenzhen Energy Group: The last electrolyzer of Shenzhen Energy's Otog Banner 505 MW Wind and Solar Power-to-Hydrogen Integrated Green Ammonia Project has been commissioned, and the hydrogen production station has achieved comprehensive and stable hydrogen production, laying a solid foundation for the entire industry chain of green hydrogen to green ammonia. The project has a total of 48 electrolyzers, and all commissioning was completed over two months. The project team overcame multiple challenges including wind-solar power adaptation, system integration, and safety control, conducting round-the-clock troubleshooting and verification. After multiple rounds of testing, the facility achieved successful initial startup, with hydrogen purity consistently meeting standards. Longyuan (Huanxian) New Energy Xifeng Branch : The second public tender announcement for the EPC of Longyuan (Huanxian) New Energy Xifeng Branch's biomass gasification-coupled green hydrogen-to-green fuel project was released. The project received group approval in April 2024 and investment decision approval in September the same year. It will construct a 1,000 Nm³/h water electrolysis hydrogen production system, a 1 t/h biomass pure oxygen pressurized gasifier, alongside 2,000 mt/year green methanol and 60 mt/year green aviation fuel synthesis facilities. A 6 MW distributed off-grid PV system will be built to power the hydrogen production unit. The total construction period is 7 months after contract signing, with joint bids not accepted. Gansu Beifang Santai Chemical Co., Ltd.: China Chengda Engineering Co., Ltd. released the winning bidder shortlist for hydrogen compressors (liquid-ring type). For Section Package 01, the first-ranked bidder was Gardner Denver Nash LLC, with Tsurumi Vacuum Engineering (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. as the secondary candidate. This procurement serves the phosgene chemical recycling industry chain (Phase I) raw material security expansion project of Gansu Beifang Santai Chemical, involving 2 liquid-ring hydrogen compressors. Joint bids were not accepted. Inner Mongolia Huadian Huameng Pipeline Co., Ltd. : The main works of China's first high-pressure, long-distance green hydrogen pipeline (Damaoqi-Baotou Hydrogen Transmission Pipeline) were substantially completed. The 195-km pipeline connects the Bayan Obo wind-solar hydrogen production base with Baotou's industrial core zone. The project resolved high-pressure hydrogen embrittlement challenges through rare-earth-modified piping materials and established a quantitative safety evaluation system, overcoming technical bottlenecks in long-distance pure hydrogen transmission. Upon completion, it will ensure green hydrogen supply for Baotou's industries and enable regional distribution. Mountainous sections are now in final stages, while plain sections undergo pigging and pressure testing, with all parties accelerating construction for operational readiness. Sinochem Lantian Fluorine Materials Co., Ltd.: The shortlist for the Haitang 2003 project's alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen equipment procurement was announced, with Tianjin Continental Hydrogen Equipment Co., Ltd. as the primary candidate (bid price: 2.8628 million yuan). The tender covers one 200 Nm³/h alkaline electrolyzer. Sinochem Lantian is a subsidiary of Sinochem Holdings. Inner Mongolia Junzheng Chemical Co., Ltd.: The 1,000 mt/year CO₂ hydrogenation-to-methanol project obtained filing approval. Located in Wuda Industrial Park, Wuhai, the project has total investment of 11 million yuan (self-funded) and will construct production facilities with supporting power distribution and control systems, scheduled for August 2026-August 2028. Shiyan Yuanzhi Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: The Zhangwan District PV+ESS+hydrogen integration project's tender plan was publicly announced. Invested by Shiyan's state-owned Yuanzhi Energy (established September 2023, registered capital: 50 million yuan), the 320 million yuan project completed filing in May 2024 and plans August 2026 tendering. It includes 37 MW PV, 50 MW/120 MWh ESS, 500 kg/day hydrogen production-refueling facilities, EV swapping stations, and smart energy management systems. Policy Review 1. NDRC and National Energy Administration issued the "15th Five-Year Plan for New-Type Power System Construction," promoting synergistic applications of battery-grade lithium hydroxide and thermal-electrolytic decoupling via molten salt/water heat storage. It pilots advanced heat pump technologies and explores phase-change/solid-state high-temperature storage, while expanding green hydrogen applications including hydrogen-ammonia-alcohol production, hydrogen storage/power generation, and hydrogen/ammonia co-firing. 2. MIIT, NDRC, and SAMR jointly issued the 2026 Key Industry Energy/Carbon Efficiency Leader Enterprise Recommendation Notice, covering 43 sectors including crude oil processing, coke, olefins, ethylene, PX, PTA, methanol, EG, caustic soda, PVC, soda ash, calcium carbide, yellow phosphorus, synthetic ammonia, urea, MAP, DAP, titanium dioxide, tires, sulphuric acid, and polyester. 3. Inner Mongolia Energy Bureau proposed measures for incremental power grid development, encouraging hydrogen integration. Projects under incremental grids may develop hydrogen-based green fuels with on-site green electricity consumption, and support self-use generators powered by green hydrogen/ammonia/methanol. Corporate Updates Sichuan Huachuang Yongqing New Energy Co., Ltd. : Shengshilanhai (Jiangyou) Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park Chairman Li Qiao visited for discussions on global expansion of low-pressure solid-state hydrogen equipment, covering overseas market strategy, certifications, channels, and IP protection. Both parties recognized significant collaboration potential in hydrogen equipment globalization and agreed to explore diversified partnerships. Faku Qingtai Electric Power New Energy Co., Ltd. : Established with legal representative Chen Huanchi (registered capital: 2 million yuan), its business scope includes hydrogen refueling/storage equipment sales and power generation/transmission/distribution operations. Guangdong Jiayi Huahydrogen Technology Co., Ltd.: Launched solid-state hydrogen storage power modules addressing lithium charging/fuel refilling pain points. The 1.6 kg standardized module enables manual hydrogen cartridge replacement within seconds. Henan Dahe Siji Cold Chain Logistics Co., Ltd. : Signed a strategic agreement with Shanghai Carrier Transicold to deploy ≥3,000 hydrogen cold chain vehicles by 2029-end, with ≥1,000 units in Phase I (August 2026-July 2027). Zhongtian Huahydrogen Co., Ltd. : Commenced Phase II manufacturing center, adding two alkaline electrolyzer production lines to reach 1 GW annual capacity. Zhejiang Yangguang Green Hydrogen Technology Co., Ltd. : Completed 10,000-hour durability tests for A11/B11-series AEM electrolyzers under 1.6 MPa high pressure and 1.5 A/cm² current density. TrinaSolar Co., Ltd. : Established a Digital Energy Joint Lab with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Trina Home, focusing on R&D and industrialization of digital energy technologies for PV+ESS+hydrogen applications. Xi'an 1908 New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: Began construction of its solid-state hydrogen equipment R&D base (2,000 m²) in Shaanxi Hydrogen Innovation Park, targeting operational readiness by month-end August. Patent Applications 1. Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, CAS (China) disclosed patent CN2025110028 for ceramic-based anion exchange membranes with 80,000-hour lab-tested lifespan. 2. Johnson Matthey (UK) filed WO2025109876 for Fe-Ni-Mo ternary non-precious metal catalysts with platinum-like activity. Technical Milestones/Specifications 1. Prof. Hu Wenbin's team at Tianjin University published in Science a breakthrough in atomic-scale platinum-group catalyst synthesis. 2. Teams from USTC (Tong Lei/Liang Haiwei) and Tsinghua (Zhang Liang) proposed Carbon Mesopore Depth Engineering (CMDE) using hollow mesoporous carbon spheres to resolve PtCo catalyst trade-offs between oxygen transport and kinetics, achieving DOE targets at 0.1 mgPt/cm² loading. 3. NWPU Prof. Li Zhipeng's team developed a 3D multiphysics model for tubular SOFCs, quantifying impacts of temperature, electrode thickness, porosity, and oxygen domain geometry. 4. China Automotive Research's National Hydrogen Energy Quality Center opened a 0-400 kW hydrogen-compatible vibration test platform, filling domestic gaps in high-power multiphysics testing. 5. DICP's Academician Chen Zhongwei and Associate Researcher Zhang Meng developed a high-specific-power cathode-sealed air-cooled stack technology, resolving industry conflicts between water retention and oxygen transport in fuel cells.

Against the backdrop of the US accelerating the build-out of its domestic battery supply chain while facing persistent reliance on foreign sources for critical minerals, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce issued an interim final rule on August 5, 2026, imposing export controls on certain recycled battery materials. The most impactful measure is the temporary export restriction on black mass, an intermediate material from lithium battery recycling. Rather than a complete cutoff of lithium battery-related material exports, this move precisely targets recycled stage products rich in lithium, cobalt, and nickel, aiming to intercept at the source the rapidly growing domestic pool of retired battery resources.

On August 4, news emerged that the signing ceremony for the cooperation project between BTR Group and Wuchuang Recycling was held in Ningxiang City, Hunan Province. This collaboration, leveraging BTR Group's technological and channel advantages in the anode material field and Wuchuang Recycling's supporting infrastructure in the waste lithium battery recycling industry, will further complement the downstream material segment of Ningxiang's power battery recycling industry chain. This will enhance industrial synergies and inject new momentum into the development of the green economy.

In 2026, as restored lithium iron phosphate (LFP) capacity expands from 150,000–160,000 tons to 170,000–180,000 tons, traditional hydrometallurgical LFP recycling companies are facing a wave of profit and competitive landscape reshaping driven by rivalry between different technological routes.

With the booming development of the new energy vehicle industry, China's first wave of power batteries has entered a large-scale retirement phase. Recently, lithium battery recycling projects have been intensively launched across multiple regions nationwide, covering every link of the industrial chain — from dismantling and crushing to hydrometallurgy, from cascade utilization to material regeneration.

With the vigorous development of the NEV industry, China's first batch of power batteries entered a large-scale "retirement period." Recently, lithium battery recycling projects were intensively launched nationwide, from dismantling and crushing to hydrometallurgy, from second-life application to material regeneration, comprehensively accelerating the layout of all links in the industry chain.

Fushun Sairuite Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. — Professional Manufacturer of Renewable Resource Sorting Equipment

On July 30, 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued an announcement abolishing the second-life application clauses in the Industry Standard Conditions for Comprehensive Utilization of Used NEV Power Batteries (2024 Edition). It will no longer carry out announcement management for second-life battery producers, and all such producers previously included in the announcement list were removed.