Recently, along with the lithium iron phosphate "on board fever", not only triggered "investment fever", but also brought the related raw materials "price tide", lithium iron phosphate tend to heat up and whether it will "Return of the King" firmly occupy the mainstream C position? Who is the driving force behind it?
Lithium iron phosphate investment tends to heat up
In July, lithium iron phosphate battery installed 5.8GWh, up 235.5%, ternary lithium battery installed 5.5GWh, China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance recently released the latest data show that lithium iron phosphate battery installed for several months has exceeded the ternary lithium battery.
On August 12, the announcement of Longbay Group, a listed chemical raw material company, showed that its two subsidiaries will invest 2 billion yuan and 1.2 billion yuan respectively to build two lithium iron phosphate projects. Previously, one of the leading chemical raw materials companies in the nuclear titanium white has also announced that it will invest in the construction of an annual output of 500,000 tons of lithium iron phosphate project through a subsidiary, with a total project investment of 12.108 billion yuan.
On August 17, another chemical raw materials listed company Xin Yangfeng announced that Xin Yangfeng intends to invest in the construction of 200,000 tons of annual output of iron phosphate and related supporting projects, the project plans to invest a total of 2.5 billion to 3 billion yuan. In addition, Xinyangfeng and Changzhou lithium source will also jointly set up a joint venture to enter the power battery industry.
Hunan Yu, one of the leading lithium iron phosphate materials, recently said it will build "300,000 tons of iron phosphate and 300,000 tons of lithium iron phosphate" project in Fuchuan City, Guizhou Province, with an estimated total investment of 7 billion yuan; will also build "350,000 tons of iron phosphate and 350,000 tons of lithium iron phosphate in Anning City, Yunnan Province " project in Anning City, Yunnan Province, with an estimated total investment of 10 billion yuan.
Since this year, including Fulin Precision, De Fang Nano, Hunan Yu can and other lithium iron phosphate upstream raw materials companies have increased production expansion. According to incomplete statistics, the first half of this year, the newly launched lithium iron phosphate cathode material project capacity has exceeded 1.5 million tons, with a total investment of more than 40 billion yuan.
At the same time, Ningde Time, BYD, AVIC Lithium, Guoxuan High-tech and other domestic power battery head enterprises, has also increased investment in production expansion targeting lithium iron phosphate.
Ningde Times is increasing the layout of lithium iron phosphate battery production capacity, and will continue to improve its lithium iron phosphate battery production capacity accounted for. Ningde Times Chairman Zeng Yuqun believes that with more and more new energy vehicle charging pile facilities, lithium iron phosphate power battery growth will be very fast. In the power battery market, the market share of lithium iron phosphate will gradually increase, and the proportion of ternary batteries will then decrease.
BYD is also expanding its lithium iron phosphate blade battery, its announcement shows that by the end of 2021, the new expansion capacity will reach 110GWh, its currently disclosed power battery project cumulative capacity of 165GWh, so its year-end power battery capacity will reach 265Gwh. It is worth noting that BYD, in addition to new regulations in Chongqing, Ningxiang, Guiyang, Hefei and other places lithium iron phosphate new capacity Recently, BYD also set up two subsidiary wholly-owned companies for the battery company and Bengbu battery company, presumably also to focus on the next step in the expansion of production needs.
At the end of July, Guoxuan High-tech and Hefei High-tech Zone signed an investment agreement for new expansion projects, officially put into operation in 2025, the completion of the annual output value is expected to reach 10 billion yuan. 2020, Guoxuan High-tech lithium iron phosphate installed capacity of about 2.9GWh, accounting for about 12.06% of the domestic market share.
Previously, billion lithium energy also spent 1 billion yuan and 3.9 billion yuan to expand passenger car lithium iron phosphate project.
Raw material prices rose
The popularity of lithium iron phosphate batteries, so that the price of related raw materials recently appeared upward trend.
Data show that as of August 20, the average price of lithium iron phosphate in the domestic power superior 52,000 yuan per ton, compared with 37,000 yuan per ton at the beginning of this year, the price has increased by 40.5%.
Since this year alone, lithium iron phosphate raw materials rose rapidly, but due to explosive growth in demand, production still exceeds demand. It is understood that the domestic lithium iron phosphate raw material enterprises Betray, De Fang Nano, Hunan Yu can, Mason new energy and other enterprises of lithium iron phosphate material capacity tightening.
Since August, lithium iron phosphate chemical raw material titanium dioxide has also increased prices, creating a large Yutu, Guangxi Xilong, Jinpu titanium industry, more than 20 manufacturers have announced a price increase of titanium dioxide, domestic sales price increases in the range of 800 yuan per ton to 1500 yuan. Affected by the price of titanium dioxide, titanium dioxide upstream titanium concentrate prices also rose, the average price of 46% titanium concentrate material in August 13 by 50 yuan per ton.
And another chemical raw material sulfuric acid prices also rose strongly all the way to a new high in 9 years. August 12, the average price of 98% sulfuric acid concentration has risen to 769.94 yuan per ton, beyond the first half of the price of 567.29 yuan per ton, up 363.09% year-on-year with last year.
An institutional research report predicts that in 2021, lithium iron phosphate demand ushered in a year of big growth, the annual demand is expected to grow 80% year-on-year.
Affected by factors such as rising product prices, some of the lithium iron phosphate raw material companies share prices soared. As of August 13, the nuclear titanium white year rose 249.18%, topping the list of sector gains, Anada rose 131.26%, ranking second.
Behind the push from where?
In lithium iron phosphate battery investment in the expansion and raw material prices behind the phenomenon, in fact, what kind of pushers? And reflect the reality of how the industry?
"There are several reasons for this." Shandong Province Battery Industry Association adviser Xie Yu Zhong in an interview with the "China Automotive News" reporter that, first, due to the emergence of some of the global electric vehicle spontaneous combustion cases, from car companies to consumers, the safety requirements of electric vehicle power battery is highly concerned, which brought about the lithium iron phosphate installed for several months beyond the ternary lithium battery; second, the above market demand in bringing a sudden increase in the order of lithium iron phosphate battery In the case of lithium iron phosphate batteries, but also make not much preparation for the power battery companies had to urgently invest in expansion, especially since this year, lithium iron phosphate expansion plans and investment showed a significant increase in the situation; third is the increase in demand for lithium iron phosphate batteries, is bound to produce greater demand for raw materials, under existing conditions, due to minerals, production capacity and other resources can not immediately keep up, the price increase becomes a market regulation of the inevitable. Later, it is possible that with the internal regulation of raw material companies, raw material supply improvement, prices are likely to fall back.
From the battery to the raw materials are in the large-scale expansion of production, but also caused the industry's hot debate. "It is worth noting that many power battery companies, including the industry's head enterprises are expanding lithium iron phosphate production capacity, raw material companies are also expanding raw materials, must accept the previous years, such as photovoltaic blindly launched, blind expansion led to a serious overcapacity in the end, and the resulting waste of funds, resources, to avoid repeating the same mistake again. " Zhejiang New Energy Technology Application Research Institute researcher Lu Ancheng in an interview with the "China Automotive News" reporter that, despite the immediate demand for lithium iron phosphate batteries show explosive growth, but the power battery technology progress is accelerating, the next few years, solid-state, semi-solid-state batteries and other new technologies, new product applications will also gradually land, to have a forward-looking vision, scientific research and judgment of the future direction of development, in order to avoid blindness.
"From lithium iron phosphate batteries to the development of related raw material industries, both to meet the current market demand, but also to carry out certain macro-control, so that the deployment of industrial resources tends to be relatively balanced, is the most ideal state of industrial development." Oriental Securities analyst Qin Xiaopeng told the "China Automotive News" reporter.
