On September 9, 2021, the Management Committee of Meishan High-tech Industrial Park made the first public announcement of the environmental impact assessment of a 50 KMT/year LFP cathode material integration project of Wanhua Chemical (Sichuan).
Basic project information
The project is mainly to build a 50 KMT/year LFP capacity and supporting capacities. The construction site is located in Meishan High-tech Industrial Park in Meishan, Sichuan Province. In fact, this is not the first time Wanhua has built capacity for lithium materials. On March 15, 2021, Wanhua Chemical announced that it intends to absorb and merge its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yantai Zhuoneng Lithium Battery.
Zhuoneng Lithium Battery is mainly engaged in the development, production, and sales of lithium battery cathode materials. In April 2020, Wanhua Chemical formally acquired 100% of Zhuoneng Lithium Battery’s equity. Before the successful acquisition of lithium materials, Wanhua Chemical had already started the expansion of ternary cathode material capacity and invested RMB 1.16 billion last year for the construction of a 10,000 MT/year ternary cathode material for lithium batteries capacity. According to the website of Meishan Municipal People’s Government, Wanhua Chemical’s 10,000 MT/year lithium battery ternary materials project was publicized for the second time in October 2020.
On February 24, 2021, the EIA document was accepted by Meishan Ecological Environment Bureau. Currently, the project is under construction. In April 2021, Wanhua Chemical disclosed the public announcement of the environmental assessment of a lithium-ion battery R&D pilot project. The project, with an investment of about RMB 70 million, will be built at the existing plant site of Zhuoneng Lithium Battery. It is mainly for the development of ternary precursors, positive electrode materials, negative electrode materials, and zirconium oxide ceramic materials for small trials, as well as the development of zirconium oxide, pouch cell cores, ternary precursors, and positive electrode materials for pilot trials. Wanhua Chemical’s entry into the lithium cathode materials industry is a reflection of its strategic need to expand its diversified product portfolio and achieve a transformation into the wider new chemical materials industry.
Source: WeChat public account of Chemical New Material