Lithium Extends Drop from 2-Year High

2026-05-20 09:57 By Andre Joaquim 1 min. read

Lithium carbonate prices in China fell to CNY 180,000 per tonne from the over two-year high of CNY 200,500 from May 13th as higher prices drove producers to restart mining activity.

Mineral Resources will restart its Bald Hill lithium mine following an 18-month suspension, while Core Lithium restarted its Finniss project, making up for shortages elsewhere.

Zimbabwe imposed export quotas for lithium concentrates and a full export ban to start next year, and stated exports would be allowed for processed lithium to stimulate the investment in local processing.

On the demand front, New data in top consumer China showed that new energy vehicles output, the top source of lithium demand due to their batteries, rose by 5.5% annually to 1.32 million units, while sales rose by 9.7% to 1.34 million units.

Demand also remained supported by Chinese investment in power infrastructure, recently consolidated with Beijing stating it would double national EV charging capacity to 180 gigawatts by 2027.



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