China materials firm Lomon Billions plans to enter the battery industry by building three lithium-ion cathode and anode material production facilities.
The proposed plants in China will cover lithium iron phosphate and titanium dioxide production.
A 200,000 tonnes-per-year (t/yr) facility for battery-grade iron phosphate will be built in Qinyang city, in the Henan province, over three phases: two 50,000 t/yr stages and a 100,000 t/yr stage.
Another 200,000 t/yr facility is proposed for Henan’s Jiaozuo city to ensure feedstock supplies for the lithium iron phosphate project.
Lomon Billions is planning to construct a 100,000 t/yr plant for artificial lithium-ion battery anode material in Jiaozuo developed in two phases, with 25,000 t/yr and 75,000 t/yr capacity respectively.
It will also invest 700mn yuan ($108 million) to expand titanium dioxide production in Jiaozuo by 100,000 t/yr. Its total titanium dioxide capacity is 1 million t/yr.
Details including the construction schedules and launch dates were undisclosed.
China upping materials production
Chinese companies, including cobalt refinery Jinchuan Group and diversified new energy firm Ningbo Shanshan, have expanded their battery cathode and anode materials production capacity for power.
Jinchuan is on track to raise its production capacity for nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) precursors by 100,000 t/yr in China’s Gansu province.
Shanshan is projected to build a 200,000 t/yr production facility for anode material in China’s Sichuan province.
Domestic power battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) has unveiled plans to increase its lithium-ion battery capacity by 137GWh/yr through five production projects in the next three years.