CATL’s Jianxiawo lithium mine in Yichun, Jiangxi province, has obtained the final regulatory approval required to resume production, according to National Business Daily.
A person familiar with the matter said the mine has now received all production-related certificates, including the safety production permit, which was the final approval needed before operations could restart.
“The most critical safety production permit was obtained today,” the person said.
Mine Prepares for Production Restart
The Jianxiawo project had already completed several stages of the regulatory approval process, with the safety production permit representing the final requirement before production could resume.
Signs of an imminent restart have begun to emerge. Local workers employed at the mine have reportedly started training ahead of returning to work, while electric mining trucks have been seen parked near the mine entrance.
The Jianxiawo lithium mine is one of CATL’s key upstream resource projects.
Operations were suspended on August 10, 2025, after the mine’s mining permit expired the previous day. The production halt temporarily lifted lithium carbonate prices in China, providing short-term support to a market affected by oversupply.
Since then, CATL has steadily progressed through the required approval process. The mine’s reserve report received approval in late September 2025, followed by confirmation of the mining rights fees required before production could restart.
Lithium Supply Remains Strategic
Lithium remains a critical raw material for electric vehicle batteries, particularly lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, where lithium carbonate and iron phosphate are the primary materials.
Yichun, located in Jiangxi province, is one of China’s most important lithium production centres and is widely known as Asia’s lithium capital.
CATL remains the world’s largest supplier of electric vehicle batteries, holding a 40.1% global market share during the first four months of the year, according to SNE Research.
As lithium prices have recovered over the past year, the company has also accelerated development of sodium-ion battery technology.
Chief Manufacturing Officer Ni Jun recently said that between 10,000 and 20,000 electric vehicles are expected to be equipped with CATL’s sodium-ion batteries this year, marking an important step in the commercialisation of the company’s alternative battery chemistry.
