[French Lithium Company Launches Geothermal Well Testing at the Schwabwiller Site in Alsace] The first geothermal exploration well drilled by the French lithium company at the Schwabwiller site in the Grand Ried department of Alsace, France, has begun well testing. This phase will last 3–5 weeks and is intended to verify the resource’s potential for geothermal heating and lithium production. Drilling at the Schwabwiller site began in November 2025, with a target depth of approximately 2,400 meters. The project is expected to drill a pair of wells, with a bottom-hole spacing of about 1,000 meters. The drilling campaign is expected to take a total of seven months. If results are positive, the French lithium company’s project is expected to provide geothermal heating for enterprises, farms, and local communities in northern Alsace. In addition, extracting lithium from geothermal brine will produce lithium with a lower environmental footprint, with carbon dioxide emissions reduced by about 70% compared with lithium currently on the market. Source: https://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/ [Li-FT Power Strategic Assessment of the Yellowknife Lithium Carbonate Conversion Plant Project] The global lithium chemicals supply chain is at a crossroads, with traditional production models facing unprecedented pressure from accelerating electrification demand. The market landscape is increasingly tilting toward integrated producers, which can capture value across the full chain—from raw ore mining to refining and producing battery-grade lithium chemicals. This shift reflects a broader strategic realignment across the industry: enterprises are enhancing operational resilience through vertical integration rather than relying on fragmented commodity supply chains. Li-FT Power’s recently announced Yellowknife lithium carbonate conversion plant project is a representative case of this strategic evolution. The proposed facility targets annual production of 30,000 mt LCE, positioning the company within North America’s emerging battery materials ecosystem. This capacity scale reflects an intentional mid-end positioning, balancing capital efficiency with meaningful market participation. Source: https://discoveryalert.com.au/ [Zimbabwe Clarifies Why It Hastily Banned Exports of Some of Its Most Critical Minerals] Recently, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Mines, Polit Kambamura, reiterated this rationale, stating that miners’ under-reporting of declared volumes constitutes a serious problem that cannot be ignored. He noted that the issue has become so widespread that the government was forced to bring forward the disciplinary timetable by one year. The government had originally planned to begin imposing an export ban on lithium concentrates next year, but due to rising production and newly issued export permits, it moved to launch the ban as quickly as possible. At a press conference after a Cabinet meeting in the country’s capital, Harare, Kambamura told reporters: “The ban will remain in effect until the conditions proposed by the government or new expectations are met.” Source: https://africa.businessinsider.com/ [Rock Tech and Siemens Plan to Build a Lithium Converter in Canada] The lithium converter that Rock Tech Lithium is developing in Guben, eastern Germany, is intended to serve as a blueprint for building a similar facility in Canada in cooperation with Siemens. The project will use Siemens’ digital twin technology to digitally replicate, optimize, and scale up the plant’s design and operating processes. The lithium converter that Rock Tech is currently building in Guben, Germany, is designed for an annual output of 24,000 mt of battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The company said this will become the largest facility of its kind in Europe. It is expected to start operations in 2027. The target capacity is equivalent to about 30 Gwh of battery capacity, sufficient to meet demand for about 500,000 EV units per year. Rock Tech also plans to build a similar facility in Red Rock, Ontario, Canada. Siemens AG’s technology will be deployed for the plant’s construction and operations. The two companies have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to establish a long-term, multi-phase strategic partnership focused on developing modern lithium converter capacity. Source: https://www.electrive.com/

On March 3, the 120,000 kW generation-grid-load-storage integrated project of Inner Mongolia Envision New Materials Co., Ltd. in Damaoqi successfully achieved grid connection. The project’s core construction covers two major segments: power supply and energy storage. The wind power section has a total installed capacity of 120 MW, with a 22 MW/22 MWh electrochemical ESS built simultaneously. The project adopts advanced grid-forming ESS technology, enabling smoothing and regulation of wind power output and flexible power dispatch, effectively improving the stability of power supply and supporting the efficient consumption of new energy power.

[SMM Nickel Flash] After the holiday, refined nickel prices pulled back, while high-grade NPI prices remained elevated, and the average discount of high-grade NPI versus refined nickel narrowed to 336.7 yuan/nickel unit. High-grade NPI prices are expected to still have upside room next week, while refined nickel prices are expected to decline MoM. The average discount of high-grade NPI versus refined nickel is expected to continue narrowing; however, supported by new energy orders, the conversion of NPI to high-grade nickel matte still has momentum.

[Dawn Automobile: Production and Sales of Certain Car Models Surged YoY in February 2026] Dawn Automobile announced that in February 2026, the company’s complete-vehicle production was 281 units, up 3,022.22% YoY; cumulative production for the year was 562 units, up 1,270.73% YoY. Complete-vehicle sales were 123 units, up 61.84% YoY; cumulative sales for the year were 171 units, up 5.56% YoY. Among them, pickup and special-purpose vehicle production and sales both rose sharply YoY. However, axle production and sales both declined YoY, and the YoY decline in new-energy axle production and sales was significant.

As of now, the FOB price of Indonesian MHP nickel was $15,418/mt Ni in metal content, and the FOB price of Indonesian MHP cobalt was $49,918/mt Co. MHP payables (against the SMM battery-grade nickel sulphate index) were 85.5-86.5, and the payable indicator for MHP cobalt element (against SMM refined cobalt (Rotterdam warehouse)) was 91. The FOB price of Indonesian high-grade nickel matte was $15,777/mt Ni in metal content.

Next week, key macroeconomic data releases include China’s February CPI y/y, the US February non-seasonally adjusted CPI y/y, the US January core PCE price index y/y, and the preliminary US March one-year inflation expectations; meanwhile, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East persist, with unchanged impacts on maritime shipping and energy supply, while a surge in oil prices has hit interest rate cut expectations, and US Treasury traders have increasingly expected that the US Fed will not cut interest rates this year. In addition, on March 6, SHFE officially announced the passage of the revision plan for lead futures contracts, with secondary lead substitutes at a discount of 150 yuan/mt to deliverable-grade material. LME lead, overseas geopolitical issues have mixed bullish and bearish impacts on the lead market: on the one hand, hindered transportation and rising energy prices such as natural gas have pushed up smelting cost, and lead-acid battery exports have also been constrained by transportation restrictions; on the other hand, there is the impact of damage to the economic environment. In addition, overseas lead inventory has remained elevated after surging by more than 50,000 mt during the Chinese New Year period, leaving lead prices under pressure. LME lead is expected to trade at $1,930-1,990/mt next week. SHFE lead, in March, both domestic lead ingot supply and demand increased, and with imported lead supplementing supply, the destocking speed of lead ingots has been slow, leaving insufficient momentum for lead prices to rise. The secondary lead segment is currently in a loss-making state, and some smelters have slowed the pace of resuming production, providing support for lead prices. In addition, next week is the week before delivery for the SHFE lead 2603 contract, and suppliers will transfer inventory and ship to delivery warehouse; expectations of a cumulative increase in visible inventory may weigh on lead prices. Overall, the most-traded SHFE lead contract is expected to trade at 16,600-17,000 yuan/mt next week. Spot price forecast: 16,500-16,700 yuan/mt. Demand side, the operating rate of lead-acid battery enterprises rose, and their lead ingot purchases will rise accordingly, with more expectations of purchasing as needed. Supply side, primary lead smelters’ production was steady to slightly higher, and market circulating supply was ample; however, considering the factor of shipping to delivery warehouse, this may ease suppliers’ pressure to make shipments, keeping spot discounts stable, while secondary refined lead smelters have resumed work at a slightly slower pace and, amid losses, secondary refined lead smelters will hold prices firm in shipments, with limited widening of discounts.

Zhangye City in Gansu Province has officially launched an investment promotion for the Zhangye Economic Development Zone ESS Battery Separator Project. With a total estimated investment of 3 billion yuan, the project plans to construct 2–6 ultra-wide high-speed separator production lines and 7–21 coating lines. Located in the Circular Economy Demonstration Park, the facility is expected to reach an annual output value of 3.5 billion yuan upon completion. The Zhangye Municipal Development and Reform Commission is leading the recruitment of industrial partners for this initiative.

The Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development have officially released the Beijing 2026 Key Engineering Plan. Marking the start of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the city will advance 300 major projects categorized into three groups: 100 technological innovation and modern industry projects, 100 infrastructure projects, and 100 livelihood improvement projects. The plan includes 120 new starts and 180 ongoing projects, notably featuring the development of three large-scale energy storage (ESS) bases to bolster the city's energy infrastructure.

Chongqing Shunbo Aluminum Alloy (Shunbo Alloy) has announced that its Anhui Phase II project will prioritize aluminum plate and strip products for battery foil blanks, battery casings, 3C products, and green packaging. The company highlights that these sectors align with the rapid growth of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and new energy storage systems (ESS). The project includes a 630,000-ton/year low-carbon aluminum alloy flat ingot line and a 50,000-ton/year high-performance aluminum plate and strip line. Production and sales are projected to scale from 120,000 tons in 2026 to 400,000 tons by 2028.

Intermediate Product Nickel Market Trading Was Sluggish, Awaiting Guidance From Papua New Guinea Tender Results