China’s biggest lithium mine loses licence
CATL’s Jianxiawo lithium mine, China’s largest by capacity, is back in care and maintenance after regulators revoked its environmental approval. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence cut its 2026 mined output forecast for Jianxiawo to 32,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent from 62,500 tonnes. The mine had a brief, informal restart in July that bypassed an unresolved dispute over its tailings pond, prompting complaints and forcing CATL back into the environmental impact assessment process.
Why it matters: This disruption affects the theme of critical minerals supply chains, as Jianxiawo is a major swing factor for domestic lithium supply and its prolonged shutdown could remove expected tonnes from a market where stronger battery demand is beginning to challenge oversupply.