The price of lithium carbonate has soared, and the "resumption of production" of lithium mica mines is once again in the spotlight.

The market has been constantly reporting that the Liyunmao lithium mica mine in Yichun, Ningde Times, is about to resume production.

Recently, some investors on the interactive platform offered suggestions to Ningde Time: "The resources of the underground deposits are limited and precious. Once they are exhausted, they are gone forever. Historically, the price of lithium carbonate once reached 600,000 yuan per ton. It is suggested that when the market price of lithium carbonate reaches 200,000 yuan per ton, the underground deposit should resume production, and then profits will be substantial. Anti-internal competition will ensure that there is work for all parties in the industry chain, and the reputation will be good."

Since the beginning of 2026, the price of lithium carbonate has shown a significantly accelerated upward trend. On January 26th, the main contract price of lithium carbonate on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange once exceeded 190,000 yuan per ton, and it rose by approximately 50% in just one month, coming very close to the 200,000 yuan per ton mark. In the past week, the price of lithium carbonate has continued to show an upward oscillating trend.

01

The highly anticipated Jiaxiao Cave lithium mine

This investor is clearly viewing the situation from the perspective of the lithium ore producers. However, CATL (Ningde Times) does not intend to make money from the lithium ore. In the eyes of many industry insiders, the Xiaoxuewo lithium mine is an important bargaining chip for CATL to curb the rise in lithium prices, as for this global largest lithium battery manufacturer, keeping the price of raw material lithium carbonate at a low level is the most beneficial.

However, the resumption of production at Ningde Time's Jianxiaowu lithium mine was not as expected, and this was regarded by the industry as a positive factor for the price of lithium carbonate.

"The market is concerned that some lithium mines in Jiangxi Province may cease production due to stricter new mining laws and environmental policies (such as the implementation of the 'Solid Waste Comprehensive Management Action Plan'), and the increased requirements for tailings treatment have led to an increase in supply disruptions. In particular, the restart of the Xianxiaowuo mining area by Ningde Times was delayed, leading to expectations of supply contraction and pushing up the price of lithium carbonate. The main driving factor is the market's concern over supply disruptions." Industry analysts said.

Looking back, lithium carbonate was selling at extremely high prices back then. In April 2022, it reached 500,000 yuan per ton, and in November of the same year, it soared to a historical peak of 600,000 yuan per ton. The entire downstream segment of the battery industry was in a state of despair.

Nidea Times is "furious"! In April 2022, through its holding subsidiary Yichun Times, Nidea Times won the bid for the exploration rights of the ceramic clay (containing lithium) in the Xingouli - Xiangxiaowuo mining area in Yichong County, Jiangxi Province, at a price of 865 million yuan. The Xiangxiaowuo mining area is one of the largest lithium mica mines in Yichun region.

According to the "Evaluation Report on the Mining Right Transfer Proceeds of Ceramic Soil Mines in Xiangxiaowou Mining Area of Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province" disclosed by the Yichun City Natural Resources Bureau earlier, the total recoverable reserves of the Xiangxiaowou mining area amount to 77,492 million tons (including lithium in the ceramic soil mines). Based on a production scale of 300 million tons per year, the service life of the mine is 25.83 years.

02

Crowd-flocking to "Asia's Lithium Capital"

With the sharp increase in the price of lithium carbonate, the lithium mica mines that previously halted production due to cost overruns are set to resume operations, and the excitement surrounding their restart is about to resurface.

Yichun, known for its abundant lithium mica reserves, is called the "Lithium Capital of Asia". Lithium resources are mainly distributed in Yuanzhou, Yifeng, Fengxin and other areas. It has the largest lithium mica mine in Asia, with the exploitable amount of lithium oxide accounting for 31% of the national total and 12% of the world total. This region is also one of the four major lithium mining areas in China.

According to statistics from the Jiangxi Provincial Geological Bureau and others, Yichun City has an oxide lithium reserve of over 9 million tons, equivalent to more than 20 million tons of lithium carbonate. Currently, enterprises such as Jiangte Electric Machinery, Yongxing Materials, Tianhua New Energy, and Jiuling Lithium have all gathered at this globally large-scale lithium mica mining area.

In May 2024, Jiangte Electric Machinery obtained the "Mining Permit" for the Xiqiong Lithium Mine in Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province, issued by the National Ministry of Natural Resources. The Xiqiong Lithium Mine is a typical alteration granite-type lithium mica-type deposit. Based on an average lithium oxide content of 0.39%, the ore resource reserves amount to 126.67 million tons, making it one of the top-ranked deposits in terms of average content among lithium mica mines with mining rights that have been obtained in China.

Yongxing Materials has two core lithium mica mines in Yichun. The proven reserves of Huasanchi Feldspar Mine? are 450 million tons? and the proven reserves of Baishuidong Kaolin Mine? are 60 million tons? 。 Yongxing Materials stated that the process route adopted by the company enables the comprehensive utilization of lithium mica resources. During the lithium extraction process, it can also produce by-products with economic value simultaneously, thereby minimizing production costs to the greatest extent.

According to Tianhua New Energy, the company has identified a lithium ore resource of 547 million tons in the ceramic soil (containing lithium) mining area between Jinzi Feng in Fengxin County and Zuo Li Zi in Yichong County. The average grade is 0.31%, and the amount of lithium oxide is 168.6 million tons. In the future, the company will strive to complete the construction by the first half of 2027 and start the production of mining and processing in the second half of that year.

At present, Jiuling Lithium Industry holds a mining right for the Huiaoxiao Large Port Kaolin Mine in Yifeng. The mine has cumulatively identified a total amount of kaolin and kaoshen ore of 9710.7 million tons, equivalent to approximately 770,000 tons of lithium carbonate. Among them, the certified recoverable quantity is 4774.51 million tons (approximately 450,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent). The mine is designed with a production capacity of 1.5 million tons per year, and the total service life of the mine is 31 years.

Apart from Yichun in Jiangxi Province, Chenzhou in Hunan Province is also a region with abundant lithium mica mineral resources. Among them, the Jiketangshan lithium mine has remarkable scale advantages. According to the review materials from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the mining scale of this mine is 20 million tons per year, and the mining area is 4.9316 square kilometers. The first mining area of Jiketangshan lithium mine, Tongtianmiao mining section, is recognized by the country as the largest single lithium mica mine in China. The proven lithium ore resources of this section amount to 490 million tons, equivalent to approximately 324 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent.

03

Strategic value is prominent.

It is worth noting that compared to salt lakes and lithium spodumene mines, lithium mica mines have a lower grade. For instance, the lithium mica mine being developed in Yichun has an oxide lithium grade ranging from 0.2% to 0.53%, with most being below 0.4%. This results in a higher cost for lithium extraction per ton. Industry insiders point out that due to the low lithium grade of lithium mica projects, a large amount of waste materials such as tailings, tailings, and lithium feldspar powder are produced, posing a major challenge for subsequent disposal and treatment.

In the context of an increasingly complex and volatile international situation, the core value of lithium mica mines is becoming increasingly prominent. Currently, China's dependence on imported lithium resources remains at a relatively high level. Accelerating the industrialization process of lithium extraction technology from lithium mica will effectively enhance the self-sufficiency capacity of domestic lithium resources, and thereby provide important support for the security and stability of the new energy industry's supply chain.