China’s lithium-ion battery output exceeded 1,240 gigawatt-hours in the first six months of 2026, up 44% from a year earlier, according to figures published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on 15 September. The ministry said its calculation drew on information from companies listed under the sector’s standardization announcement system and estimates by an industry association. By battery type, output was 40 GWh for consumer batteries, 420 GWh for energy-storage batteries and 785 GWh for power batteries, including those used in electric vehicles. These three categories sum to 1,245 GWh; the ministry’s total-output statement is that production exceeded 1,240 GWh. The mix shows that power and storage applications accounted for most of the reported output.

The value of lithium-battery exports in the first half was reported at 3,370 hundred-million yuan, equivalent to 337 billion yuan, an annual increase of 37%. For first-tier materials, the ministry reported about 4.75 million tonnes of cathode materials, 3 million tonnes of anode materials, 33 billion square metres of separators and 2.2 million tonnes of electrolytes. It said output for each of these materials increased by more than 50% year on year. Among second-tier materials, battery-grade lithium carbonate output reached 620,000 tonnes, up 44%, and battery-grade lithium hydroxide reached 180,000 tonnes, up 5.4%. Average first-half prices were 163,000 yuan per tonne for lithium carbonate and 153,000 yuan per tonne for micronized lithium hydroxide.

The figures show rapid volume growth across the battery and materials chain, but the different measures should not be treated as one economic indicator. Output in GWh measures battery energy capacity, material output in tonnes measures mass, and export value measures money flows. An increase in export value alone does not establish an equivalent rise in export unit counts or profitability. The ministry described the sources used for its total-output calculation but did not provide company-level utilization, inventory, selling-price or overseas delivery details. The quoted average lithium-product prices refer to the first-half period; they are not current spot prices or forecasts. Assessing the financial effect of sector growth would also require company results and market information. The release provides a snapshot of production and exports rather than a complete account of margins or end-market demand.