[China’s Automobile Production Reached 4.024 Million Units, January-February] On March 16, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the latest data showing that, by sector, from January to February, the value added of 35 out of 41 major industrial categories increased YoY. Among them, automobile manufacturing was up 3.4% YoY. By product, from January to February, the production of 397 out of 626 products by industrial enterprises above designated size increased YoY. Among them, automobile production was 4.024 million units, down 9.9%, of which NEV production was 1.604 million units, down 13.7%.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), China's pig iron production from January to February 2026 was 137.7 million mt, down 2.7% YoY; crude steel production was 160.34 million mt, down 3.6% YoY; and steel product production was 221.19 million mt, down 1.1% YoY.

[SMM Aluminum Flash News] The Guangxi Qiangqiang Carbon-Based New Materials prebaked anode project, with an annual capacity of 600,000 mt, officially commenced construction in April 2025 and is expected to begin trial production in July 2026. The first calcining furnace is estimated to start production by the end of March; the roasting furnace is expected to start production by the end of May, with the forming workshop producing the first green anode, marking the project’s full integration; and the first baked anode is expected to be produced by the end of July.

According to Alba’s official website on March 15, Alba has initiated a controlled and safe shutdown of Production Lines 1, 2, and 3, involving capacity equivalent to 19% of its total capacity of 1.623 million mt, with the aim of optimizing the utilization of Alba’s existing raw material inventory and prioritizing the operational stability of Production Lines 4, 5, and 6.

In January-February, raw coal production of industrial enterprises above designated size (hereinafter referred to as industrial enterprises above designated size) remained stable, crude oil production turned from decline to growth, natural gas production maintained steady growth, and the growth rate of power generation accelerated. I. Production of Raw Coal, Crude Oil, and Natural Gas and Related Information The decline in raw coal production narrowed. In January-February, raw coal production of industrial enterprises above designated size was 760 million mt, down 0.3% YoY, with the rate of decline narrowing by 0.7 percentage points from December 2025; daily average production was 12.93 million mt. Crude oil production turned from decline to growth. In January-February, crude oil production of industrial enterprises above designated size was 35.73 million mt, up 1.9% YoY, compared with a decline of 0.6% in December 2025; daily average production was 606,000 mt. Crude oil processing maintained growth. In January-February, crude oil processed by industrial enterprises above designated size totaled 122.63 million mt, up 2.9% YoY; daily average processing was 2.079 million mt. Natural gas production maintained steady growth. In January-February, natural gas production of industrial enterprises above designated size was 44.6 billion m³, up 2.9% YoY; daily average production was 760 million m³. II. Power Generation The growth rate of power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size accelerated. In January-February, power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size was 1,571.8 billion kWh, up 4.1% YoY, with the growth rate 4 percentage points faster than in December 2025; daily average power generation was 26.64 billion kWh. By type, in January-February, thermal power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size turned from decline to growth, hydropower growth accelerated, while the growth rates of nuclear power, wind power, and solar power generation slowed. Specifically, thermal power generation of industrial enterprises above designated size was up 3.3% YoY, compared with a decline of 3.2% in December 2025; hydropower was up 6.8%, with the growth rate accelerating by 2.7 percentage points; nuclear power was up 0.8%, with the growth rate slowing by 2.3 percentage points; wind power was up 5.3%, with the growth rate slowing by 3.6 percentage points; solar power generation was up 9.9%, with the growth rate slowing by 8.3 percentage points.

Xiamen Tongli New Material Co., Ltd. has commenced construction on its "Annual Production of 35,000 Tons of High-Performance Copper and Copper Alloy Materials Manufacturing Project," which is scheduled to officially commence production in the second half of 2027.

At the construction site of Liangshan Copper Industry's 125,000-tonne-per-year copper cathode refining project, 96% of the main works have been completed, and key equipment has been commissioned. It is expected that copper cathode will be produced by the end of March. The project has a total investment of approximately 1 billion yuan. Upon operation, it is planned to produce 125,000 tonnes of high-purity copper cathode annually, with an annual output value reaching 8.8 billion yuan.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) plans to provide up to $500 million in funding to expand domestic critical minerals processing and battery materials manufacturing and recycling, as Washington seeks to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

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.

In early March 2026, Qatalum—the 648,000-tonne-per-year primary aluminum smelter in Qatar, a 50/50 joint venture between Norsk Hydro and Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing Company initiated a controlled shutdown of production. The decision, effective from March 3, followed a warning from gas supplier QatarEnergy that natural gas deliveries would be fully suspended due to disruptions linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, including attacks on regional energy infrastructure.