"Lithium batteries: off-season not light"

"In the past, the first quarter was the off-peak season, but this year the production in the first quarter is almost not much lower than in the last quarter of the previous year," a listed lithium battery industry chain company recently told reporters. The company is expected to turn losses into profits this year, and is currently busy receiving investor visits and promoting expansion plans. Zhang Jian, deputy secretary-general of the Energy Storage Branch of the China Battery Industry Association, recently visited several battery companies and told reporters, "In the first quarter, energy storage batteries are in a state where money doesn't necessarily buy you goods, and prices are also rising." Since the outbreak in the second half of last year, the demand for energy storage batteries in the first quarter has accelerated, surpassing the shipment volume of the last quarter of last year, becoming the strongest growth pole in the lithium battery industry. At the same time, power batteries, as the foundation of the lithium battery market, have also achieved steady growth, with overseas sales and per-vehicle electricity capacity becoming bullish points. The industry's prosperity is intuitively reflected in the first quarter reports of companies: CATL's performance exceeded expectations, with a year-on-year increase in net profit attributable to the mother in the first quarter of 48.52%; many companies have turned losses into profits. Looking ahead to the whole year, the interviewed lithium battery companies and experts agree that the high growth theme of energy storage will run through the whole year. The driving force for growth comes from simultaneous outbreaks in both domestic and foreign markets. At the same time, a new round of lithium battery expansion is unfolding. According to the Lithium Battery Equipment enterprise Li Yuanheng, this round of lithium battery expansion cycle is expected to continue for two to three years, with the years 2026 to 2028 being the critical stage for equipment order delivery.