〔Day Digest〕Lithium Build-Out Meets Alumina Supply Shock and PNG Copper Restart; Solid-State Capital Shifts Upstream

Lithium: Sinomine's Zimbabwe Project Enters Full Construction

Sinomine Resource's Zimbabwe subsidiary, Masvingo Lithium Technology, has obtained the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), moving the 100,000 tonne/year lithium sulfate project from preparation to full construction ^[1]. Civil contractor China Railway Ninth Bureau and installation contractor Shandong Dadi have both mobilized to site, and construction is progressing as planned ^[1]. The project is scheduled to be completed and start production around mid-2027 ^[1].

Alumina: Global Largest Single Plant Halves Output on Gas Disruption

According to Caixin, the world's largest single alumina plant has shut down 50% of its capacity due to a natural gas supply interruption ^[2]. The same roundup reports that under the coal "15th Five-Year Plan," five major coal bases will account for more than 80% of coal output ^[2].

Copper: Green Light to Prepare Restart of PNG Mine

Indian iron ore producer Lloyds Metals has been authorized to work toward restarting a giant copper mine in Papua New Guinea that has been closed for nearly 40 years ^[3]. The mine was once a flash point in a brutal civil war ^[3].

Battery Materials: Capital Shifts from Cells to Solid-State Electrolytes

According to GGII data cited by Huxiu, in H1 2026 the solid-state battery industry saw over 100 GWh of expansion capacity and total planned investment across the sector exceeding 50 billion yuan ^[4]. However, cell-side investment cooled slightly versus H1 2025, while solid-state electrolyte investment surged nearly fourfold year-on-year to over 8 billion yuan ^[4]. As an example, Shanghai and Yixing state capital recently invested in Shaanxi-based Ruizhi New Energy, which focuses on solid-state electrolytes and interface coating materials rather than cell production ^[4].