Battery metals prices fall

The price of lithium spodumene concentrate fell 16%  q-o-q in August with some lithium concentrate prices below $800/ton.

Following a drop in the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate below CNY 90,000 ($12,500)/ton in July, a new  low was set in August as the price further decline below CNY 80,000 ($10,200)/ton.

The continued drop in cobalt and nickel salts also triggered declines in prices for cathodes, electrolytes, and other battery components.

Prices for EV cells fell by 4% MoM in August with the average price for square LFP cells dropping below CNY 0.4/Wh, while square ternary and pouch ternary EV battery cells averaged CNY 0.46/Wh and CNY 0.48/Wh, respectively.

Demand for grid-scale ESS battery cells continued to improve in August, driving sustained growth in 314 Ah orders.

The trend toward larger capacity energy storage cells remains unchanged, and prices continued to decline. The ASP for LFP energy storage cells fell to about CNY 0.35/Wh in August—a 6% monthly