SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China’s CATL has placed orders with external suppliers for lithium ore in November, sources say, as the battery giant seeks alternative feedstock while its flagship Jianxiawo mine is closed.
A CATL subsidiary and joint venture producing lithium carbonate in Yichun, near where the mine is located, made the orders with traders earlier this month, according to two sources with direct knowledge who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.
The two companies would rarely do that when the mine was operating at full capacity, one of the sources said.
CATL did not respond to a request for comment.
Mining at CATL’s Jianxiawo site, one of several lithium assets it owns in Yichun in Jiangxi province, has been suspended since early August after its mining license expired.
CATL said in August it was applying to renew the license as soon as possible. A month later, Chinese newspaper Securities Times reported that the mine was set to reopen soon. However, CATL has yet to announce such a move.
The Jianxiawo mine has annual production capacity equivalent to about 46,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate, accounting for 3% of 2025 global output, according to data from Australian government.
The mine closed last year, reopening in February before being shut again in August. Lithium prices have reacted sharply each time given the mine’s importance to global supply.
(Reporting by Reuters in ShanghaiEditing by Mark Potter)
