After a 10-month halt, restart rumors around CATL's Yichun Jianxiawo lithium
mine intensified after Credit China on July 7 posted that Yichun Times New
Energy Mining Co. had obtained a non-coal mine safety production enterprise
change permit with a 30 mln t/yr scope. A source close to CATL said core mining,
beneficiation and smelting have resumed and could reach full production within
one to two weeks. On-site reporting found no transport trucks at the
concentrator; workers were taking measurements and placing flags, and excavators
were operating on slopes. A legal expert said such activity may constitute
preparatory work rather than formal production. The main outstanding issue is
environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval: the project’s first EIA public
notice was issued in Dec 2025, but subsequent EIA report preparation and
approval has no public record and EIA progress has been absent for about six
months. While a CATL insider said prerequisite approvals including the EIA have
been obtained, the EIA report has not been publicly posted in line with
statutory procedure, leaving the mine’s formal resumption legally unresolved.
