Tinci Materials to expand li-ion battery basic material capacity

    Summary: In late Aug. 2022, Tinci Materials planned to invest USD269.71 million (RMB1.86 billion) in building 75,500 t/a li-ion battery basic material capacity.   

    On 30 Aug., 2022, Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (Tinci Materials) announced that its subsidiary, Jiujiang Tianci Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (Tianci Materials), intended to establish a project of 75,500 t/a li-ion battery basic materials with its self-raised capital. The total investment of this project is USD269.71 million (RMB1.86 billion). This project, with a construction period of 18 months, is located in Hukou Jinshawan Industrial Park, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. When completed, this project will achieve capacity of 50,000 t/a lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI), 10,000 t/a lithium oxalyldifluoroborate, 10,000 t/a sodium hexafluorophosphate (NaPF₆), 5,000 t/a solid lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆), and 500 t/a potassium hexafluorophosphate (KPF₆).   

    Tinci Materials said that the li-ion battery industrial chain has developed continuously in recent years and demand for upstream electrolyte also keeps improving. The proportion of LiFSI is relatively high in some new type of batteries for its high-temperature adaptability and high conductivity. The proportion of LiFSI added in electrolyte is also estimated to rise with the continuously growing output of Kirin batteries and 4680 batteries. The formulation of electrolyte containing LiFSI needs to add lithium oxalyldifluoroborate to improve the performance of batteries; accordingly, lithium oxalyldifluoroborate will also usher in huge market potentials with the climbing output of LiFSI. In addition, downstream customers have already put relevant electrolyte needs on the agenda with the scale production of sodium-ion batteries. Therefore, Tinci Materials set up this NaPF₆ line to meet the needs of future industrial chain layout of its core customers.   

    The 2021 annual report of Tinci Materials showed that Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) is the biggest client of the company and around half of its revenues are from CATL. In June 2022, CATL introduced Kirin batteries and planned to realise mass production in 2023. Besides, CATL mentioned that the company started the industrial layout of sodium-ion batteries and aimed to form an industrial chain by 2023. The product capacity of Tinci Materials' project is consistent with the industrial layout of CATL.   

    Kirin batteries are featured by fast charge battery cells. In term of conductivity and solubility, two key indexes for fast charge, LiFSI enjoys an advantage over LiPF₆. Thus, the increasing demand for new type batteries will advance the development of LiFSI.   

    Tinci Materials stressed that LiFSI production technique is its own technology and the company lists LiFSI as a key product. So far, Tinci Materials possesses 6,300 t/a LiFSI capacity and the company is advancing a project of 20,000 t/a LiFSI.   

    Tinci Materials believes that this project will improve its strategic layout of upstream raw materials of li-ion battery electrolyte and sodium-ion battery electrolyte, strengthen its long-term competitiveness of new type battery electrolyte formulation and meet its needs of business development and market expansion.