Qinghai Province Builds a New Energy Vehicle Lithium Battery Industry Chain

The lithium resource reserve in Qinghai Province occupies 80% of the national reserve, and the abundant resource advantage lays a solid foundation for the development of the Province. Recently, according to Commission of Economy and Information Technology of Qinghai Province, Qinghai has initially formed a new energy vehicle lithium battery industry chain from upstream lithium carbonate to cell by strengthening the lithium resource industry chain investment.

According to public data, the latest proven lithium ore reserve in Qinghai Province is 17.24 million tons, accounting for over 75% of reserve in China and 1/3 in the world. The abundant resources have offered Qinghai an early-comer advantage in terms of the lithium industry development, and provided strong confidence for enterprises to seek development here. CATL, a world-leading electric vehicle battery supplier, PULEAD and a number of famous enterprises in China have had presence in Qinghai, and BYD Qinghai power battery plant has been officially completed. Qinghai is striving to maximally transform the lithium battery industry advantage into economic advantage, driving the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure of Qinghai.

According to He Long, Vice-president of BYD Co., Ltd., BYD was impressed by the lithium resource advantage, natural environment favorable for the battery production, and amazing investment environment in Qinghai. After the Nanchuan power battery plant in Xining was fully put into production, 40-50% BYD new energy vehicles are expected to be equipped with power batteries made in Qinghai.

Relying on the advantaged lithium resources, Qinghai is devoted to strengthening the competitiveness of unique and superior products and expanding the export volume of new energy and new materials. Notably, anode materials for new energy lithium batteries made in Qinghai was officially shipped to Japan from Xining Caojiabao Airport, marking the export of materials for lithium batteries for the first time in Qinghai.

Moreover, over the past years, lithium battery industry in Qinghai has achieved rapid development, initially formed the industrial base from upstream lithium carbonate to cells, and built a complete lithium battery industry chain. Qinghai has gradually established a new energy vehicle lithium battery industry chain via the platform of Qinghai Lake (International) Electric Vehicle Challenge. At the recently closed 19th Qinghai Green Development Investment and Trade Fair, Qinghai signed a total of over 280 projects in the fields of new energy, salt lake chemical, power battery and ecological environmental protection, with a investment value of up to RMB 150 billion.

In order to transform the resource advantage to industry advantage, in recent years, Qinghai Province has successively introduced plans and supportive policies as Qinghai Province 13th Five-year New Material Industry Development Plan, Qinghai Province Policy Measures for Promoting New Material Industry Development and Qinghai Province Interim Measures for Salt Lake Lithium Resource Development and Application, etc., strengthened the investment in lithium resource industry chain, and sought for the transformation from a big resource province to a powerful lithium industry province. According to the Qinghai Province 100 Billion Lithium Battery Industry Development Plan, the planned investments in the lithium battery industry and output values in Qinghai will reach RMB 70 billion and RMB 78 billion by 2020 and RMB 160 billion and RMB 180 billion by 2025 respectively, with capacity of lithium carbonate of 170,000 t/a and lithium battery cell of 60Gwh/year.