EIA Acceptance Pending! CATL's Jiangxiawo Lithium Mine Resumption Takes a Key Step

The resumption of production at the highly market-anticipated Jiangxiawo Lithium Mine of CATL has made substantial progress. On August 17, reporters learned that the Yichun Ecology and Environment Bureau intends to accept the environmental impact assessment (EIA) documents for the mining project of Yichun Times New Energy Mining Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yichun Times") at the Zhenkouli, Yifeng County — Jiangxiawo, Fengxin County Lithium Mine. The project's EIA documents and public participation explanation have entered the pre-acceptance publicity phase, marking another step forward for this large global lepidolite mine towards official resumption of production.

EIA enters pre-acceptance publicity phase for a period of 10 working days

According to the publicity information from the Yichun Ecology and Environment Bureau, the current pre-acceptance publicity period is from August 17, 2026, to August 28, 2026, totaling 10 working days. During this period, the public can provide feedback and opinions regarding the project's EIA content.

Reviewing the entire EIA process, the project completed its first EIA information publicity as early as December 2025. On July 27, 2026, the draft EIA report for soliciting opinions was released and publicized, and the publicity for the draft ended on August 7. After collecting multiple public feedback opinions, the materials were organized, and the project formally entered the competent authority's pre-acceptance stage. Industry insiders stated that pre-acceptance does not equate to approval. After the publicity ends, the ecology and environment department will organize experts to conduct a technical review. Following the review, the pre-approval publicity process must still be completed. Only after all procedures are finished can the official EIA approval be issued. The resumption of mining operations still requires the completion of a series of statutory approval procedures.

The scope of this EIA assessment targets only the mining环节, covering the open-pit mine, waste dump, mining industrial site, and ore crushing station. The project output is lepidolite raw ore. After coarse crushing, the ore is transported externally to the Fengxin Times Concentrator for processing. The concentrator and tailings pond are not within the scope of this EIA assessment, and subsequent compliance work for the supporting beneficiation links still needs to be advanced.

Mine Basic Overview: Domestic Core Lithium Raw Material Supply Base

The mining rights for the Zhenkouli, Yifeng County — Jiangxiawo, Fengxin County mining area belong to Yichun Times New Energy Mining Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of CATL. The mining area is delineated by 18 turning points with an area of 2.5 square kilometers. The company obtained the initial mining rights certificate in August 2022. The original mining rights were valid from August 9, 2022, to August 9, 2025. After the old mining certificate expired on August 9, 2025, the mine immediately ceased full production.

Subsequently, the company completed a change in the mining variety, shifting from the original ceramic clay (containing lithium) mine to lithium as the primary mineral, while simultaneously obtaining a brand-new mining license. The new license is valid until November 2047, and the mined minerals include associated resources such as lithium ore, ceramic clay, rubidium, and cesium. The Jiangxiawo Lithium Mine is the world's largest proven lepidolite mine by scale, possessing massive resources. The design at full capacity corresponds to an annual lithium carbonate production capacity of approximately 100,000 tons. Before production suspension, the mine's output accounted for 8%-10% of the country's total lithium carbonate production, making it a vital source of domestic lithium salt supply. It also bears the important function of securing upstream lithium resources for CATL, and its resumption rhythm has continuously affected the nerves of the lithium industry chain and the capital market.

The EIA publicity documents show that after adjustment, the mine's annual raw ore mining scale is 30 million tons, a decrease from the previously approved scale of 45 million tons. The total project investment is 4.354 billion yuan, the overall service life of the mine is 18 years, with a construction period of 1 year and a production period of 17 years.

Background of Suspension: Expiration of Mining Certificate Combined with Policy Adjustment on Mineral Varieties

The Jiangxiawo Lithium Mine entered a state of production suspension starting in August 2025. The direct cause was the expiration of the original mining license, which was simultaneously accompanied by factors of policy adjustment in mineral development. Previously, the mine used ceramic clay as the primary mineral variety, with lithium mined as an associated resource. After the implementation of new regulations related to minerals, the original development model was no longer applicable. The enterprise needed to complete the change of mineral variety, recompile a complete EIA report for the lithium mining project, and have the full set of compliance documents approved before resuming mining operations.

Over the past year, the market has repeatedly heard rumors of resumption, triggering short-term fluctuations in the lithium price sector. Relevant government departments once responded externally that only site preparation work was being carried out at the mine site, and no formal ore mining or production was underway. Formal resumption must wait for the landing of all statutory procedures such as EIA approval, leaving no room for production without approval.

Potential Impact on the Lithium Industry Chain

As a source of lepidolite supply accounting for nearly 10% domestically, the progress of the resumption of the Jiangxiawo Lithium Mine directly affects the domestic lithium salt supply pattern. In terms of market expectations, the landing of the EIA pre-acceptance strengthens the expectation of medium-to-long-term supply restoration. However, the downward adjustment in mining scale also corrects the market's previously optimistic forecast for capacity release. There is still a cycle before the mine actually produces ore and ramps up capacity, so it will not directly change the supply and demand pattern of the spot market in the short term.

Industry chain analysts pointed out that in the complete resumption chain, the mining EIA approval is a key node, but the compliance of supporting facilities such as beneficiation and tailings ponds cannot be ignored. Only after all links are connected can the mine gradually release capacity. Market consensus generally expects that even if the EIA is approved smoothly, actual large-scale output will most likely land after the fourth quarter of 2026, and there remains some uncertainty regarding the timing.