On June 9th, it was learned that the Ministry of Commerce recently held a symposium on the recycling and utilization of "new three types" solid waste to further understand the situation of "new three types" solid waste recycling and utilization. Representatives from relevant departments, industry associations, and leading enterprises attended the meeting. The conference will study the establishment of a "1+N" working system, clarify the need to accelerate the improvement of top-level institutional design, and promote the issuance of policy documents. The interviewed experts believe that this is a forward-looking and systematic layout for the upcoming "new three types" retirement trend, which will promote the dual empowerment of the new energy and solid waste recycling industries.
At present, China's new energy vehicle power batteries are entering the stage of large-scale retirement, and photovoltaic modules and wind turbine equipment will also usher in a peak retirement period. According to industry statistics, the retirement volume of new energy vehicle power batteries in China is rapidly increasing, and it is expected to usher in a larger scale retirement peak by 2030. The design lifespan of photovoltaic modules is generally 25 years. As early installed projects gradually enter the retirement period, the pressure of recycling and processing will continue to increase. The difficulty of recycling composite materials such as wind turbine blades is high, which is also the current challenge of the recycling system.
In response to this situation, the meeting made a systematic deployment, emphasizing the adherence to precise guidance and classified policies, and taking differentiated and precise measures based on the development stage and recycling characteristics of the power battery, photovoltaic module, and wind turbine equipment industries to effectively solve the problem of recycling and dismantling. Adhere to technological leadership and empowerment, actively promote the basic research and development of "new three types" solid waste recycling technologies, and promote the integration and application of artificial intelligence in the recycling process. Persist in pilot exploration, encourage leading enterprises, continue to carry out pilot work on the construction of a renewable resource recycling system, encourage industrial agglomeration areas and leading enterprises to take the lead in testing, improve recycling efficiency, enhance sorting capabilities, and promote high-quality development of the recycling industry.
Cai Haizhen, Deputy Secretary General of the China Association for Recycling and Utilization of Renewable Resources, told reporters that the conference proposed to build a "1+N" work system, clarifying four directions: systematic promotion, classified policies, technological guidance, and pilot exploration. This is a forward-looking and systematic layout made in response to the gradual arrival of the "new three types" retirement trend, aiming to achieve two-way empowerment of the new energy industry and solid waste recycling and utilization.
Cai Haizhen believes that improving top-level design will promote the standardized, large-scale, and intelligent development of the "new three types" solid waste recycling and utilization from scattered and extensive. The combination of favorable policies and a concentrated retirement wave has made the industry's market expectations increasingly clear.
Professor Sun Chuanwang from the China Energy Economics Research Center at Xiamen University stated that the policy will promote the extension of the competitive logic of the "new three industries" from production capacity and exports to full lifecycle governance. The standardized recycling mechanism helps enhance the risk resistance of enterprises to fluctuations in raw material prices and dependence on overseas resources, while forcing the recycling industry to reshape its competitive landscape.
Sun Chuanwang believes that in the short term, with the accelerated implementation of admission standards and technical specifications, the recycling market may experience the pain of non compliant capacity clearance and technological iteration; In the long run, with the large-scale application of technologies such as AI intelligent disassembly and the increasingly perfect institutional system, the synergy between industry compliance dividends and economies of scale will be achieved, promoting the high-quality development of the recycling industry.
Under this trend, the market space is enormous. Taking power batteries as an example, according to a research report by Oriental Fortune, lithium battery recycling will experience a double increase in both quantity and price. In terms of quantity, China is about to enter the stage of large-scale retirement of power batteries, and it is expected that the domestic market size of power battery recycling will exceed 100 billion yuan by 2030; From a price perspective, maintaining high prices for battery grade lithium carbonate and other materials will be beneficial for the profitability of the recycling industry.
The reporter noticed that top enterprises are accelerating the layout of the "new three types" recycling industry. Recently, Bangpu Recycling, a subsidiary of CATL, once again disclosed the progress of a new waste battery recycling project, further increasing the lithium iron phosphate recycling capacity of the Yichang base in Hubei.
Previously, Jerry New Energy Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. signed a contract with Huadu District, Guangzhou to implement a lithium battery resource recycling project. Focusing on the resource recycling and treatment of core categories such as retired power batteries and industrial lithium battery waste, building a complete closed-loop system from waste battery recycling, efficient crushing and sorting, valuable metal purification to the supply of recycled materials.
In the long run, Cai Haizhen believes that using pilot projects to drive the standardization of industries will further amplify the advantages of high-quality enterprises. Based on the construction of existing renewable resource recycling networks, leading enterprises are expected to take the lead in establishing regional recycling systems in areas such as new energy industry clusters, circular utilization bases, large power plant areas, and centralized wind farms. Cross border integration of industrial chains will become the norm, and top enterprises with qualifications, technology, channels, funding and other advantages will be better equipped to undertake major market shares.
Cai Haizhen stated that the production, operation, and solid waste recycling of the "new three types" will be further linked and developed in synergy, jointly becoming a new growth pole for China's new quality productivity and circular economy. (Looking into the New Era)