Umicore is beginning the industrialization of its manganese-rich HLM (high lithium manganese) cathode active materials (CAM) and targets mass-production for EV batteries in 2026. Production is foreseen at the company’s plants in South Korea, Poland, and a planned plant in Canada. India has announced the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir. SK ON has confirmed its withdrawal from a planned battery plant in Turkey, where it originally planned to execute on a joint venture with Ford Motor Company. EVE Energy has announced it plans to build a 20GWh battery plant in Chengdu, China with an initial investment of nearly $1.5 billion. Zhengzhou Fodi Battery Co. a directly owned subsidiary of BYD,…