The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently sent the "Notice on Organizing and Carrying out the Application Work of Standardized Enterprises in the Comprehensive Utilization of Renewable Resources and Mechanical and Electrical Products Remanufacturing Industry in 2024" to all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), clarifying the suspension of accepting the application criteria for comprehensive utilization of new energy vehicle power batteries. conditions.

What are the reasons for suspending the acceptance of corporate declarations? What adjustments will be made to the new application specifications? When will the follow-up declaration work be restarted?

"I was very surprised. According to the usual practice, the application should be submitted in April, and a thick pile of relevant materials had been prepared, but the competent authority suddenly suspended the application without giving us any response time or explanation, which made us confused and caught off guard." A business person recently expressed his helplessness to a reporter from China Energy News.

The above-mentioned suspension of application refers to the "Notice on Organizing and Carrying out the Application Work of Standardized Enterprises in the Comprehensive Utilization of Renewable Resources and Mechanical and Electrical Products Remanufacturing Industry in 2024"(hereinafter referred to as the "Notice") recently sent by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities)., clarifying the standard conditions for suspending the acceptance of applications for comprehensive utilization of new energy vehicle power batteries.

在新能源汽车动力电池综合利用行业，申报工作非常重要，成功入选的企业将以“正规军”身份从事相关工作，是汽车厂和电池企业项目招标的必要条件。值得注意的是，今年1月17日，新一批《新能源汽车废旧动力蓄电池综合利用行业规范条件》企业名单才正式发布， Just 60 days later, the industry suddenly changed。暂停受理企业申报的原因何在？新的申报规范条件会有哪些调整？后续申报工作又将何时重启？

unexpected

The comprehensive utilization of power batteries for new energy vehicles is an emerging field. If large-scale decommissioned power batteries are not properly handled, it will not only bring a series of environmental problems and safety problems, but also cause waste of resources. In order to establish a benchmark effect and guide industrial development, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has established a list of enterprises with standardized conditions since 2018, which is commonly known as the "white list" system in the industry. It sets thresholds for entering enterprises in terms of technology, environmental protection and safety, and the industry recognizes their gold content. High degree, enterprises actively declare.

“It's too sudden to apply for several consecutive years and stop it with a click. 据我所知，暂停申报没有征求协会和企业意见，哪怕提前放个风，我们也有个心理准备。《通知》中关于暂停申报的表述只有短短23个字，新的规范什么时候能出来、今年是否还可以申报等都没明确。”上述某企业人士称，《通知》没有设置过渡期和时间表。

In response to the troubles of enterprises, a reporter from China Energy News called the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Relevant sources said that the list of enterprises with standardized conditions is voluntarily declared by enterprises. Whether or not to declare has no impact on the production and operation of enterprises. It is not necessary to declare before they can engage in production and operations. ** The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will organize experts to revise the application specifications based on the actual situation of industry development to better promote industrial development. ** When to restart the application will be notified separately based on the revision.

However, the suspension of declarations is still causing waves in the industry. "Since Tesla settled in Shanghai in 2018 and triggered the catfish effect, new energy vehicles have begun to increase rapidly. According to the laws of industrial development, lithium batteries are generally scrapped in about 6-8 years. Starting from 2024, they will gradually enter the rapid development of the battery recycling industry. period.' The suspension of application for the 'white list' has forced some investment and construction projects to wait and see, or even stop. You know, the investment amount of battery recycling companies is as high as tens of millions of yuan or even hundreds of millions of yuan, and the company is also playing drums. If the project is launched now and the 'white list' application upgrade conditions cannot be met in the subsequent period, the initial investment will definitely be damaged." Another business person said.

expected

The suspension of declarations is sudden, but the controversy caused by the "white list" has a long history.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued five batches of white lists in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, with 5, 22, 20, 41, and 68 companies respectively, with a total of 156 companies selected. A reporter from China Energy News noticed that compared with the first three batches, the companies selected in the fourth and fifth batches have greatly expanded their capacity. Especially in the list of companies selected in the fifth batch, many companies have been established for less than a year. The battery recycling process is complex and involves many subject fields such as machinery, metallurgy, and chemistry. Whether these companies can meet the threshold requirements and have production capabilities in a short period of time has once caused market doubts.

According to Wang Hao, chairman of Shandong Yiwei New Energy Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd., the suspension of accepting the application specifications for new energy vehicle power battery comprehensive utilization enterprises may be based on two considerations.:First, the number and distribution areas of companies currently shortlisted in the "white list" have been able to meet the current market demand; second, judging from the actual operation of each company, many companies have limited recycling volume and are not saturated in business, making it difficult to meet project expectations. The competent authorities also hope to guide the industry to shift from the emphasis on "quantity" to the emphasis on "quality" in the early stage.

“停一停也是好事。” 北京赛德美董事长赵小勇向《中国能源报》记者表示，电池回收企业生存承压。2023年，中国新能源汽车废旧动力电池综合利用量为22.5万吨，全部分到156家正规企业，每家回收量不足1500吨，产业竞争激烈程度可想而知。 It is not only the competition between "white list" and non-"white list "companies for the market, but now" white list "companies are also beginning to" fight ". “白名单”企业扩容过多、过快，将失去示范意义。每批次10家，最终共筛选出200多家企业较为合适。

If you want to be quick, you will not be able to reach it; if you go too far, you will not be able to reach it. "The 'white list' application work is established by local governments. For the sake of revitalizing the economy, all localities hope that more companies will join the bureau." Zhao Xiaoyong said frankly that at present, ** some companies are "selling dog meat", processing mineral materials under the banner of recycling, and doing face projects with the mentality of "getting a ticket and leaving". ** There are only a handful of companies that really focus on battery recycling as their main business.

orderly development

In fact, many industries have established a "white list" system in the early stages of development to guide industrial development. For example, since 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued multiple batches of "white lists" of power batteries, directly promoting the rapid development of local companies such as Ningde Times and BYD. As the industry matures, this system officially withdrew from the historical stage in 2019. So, does the "white list" for comprehensive utilization of used power batteries also usher in an exit moment?

北京朋米科技有限公司总经理黄付升认为，当前“白名单”制度仍有很大必要性。不同于其他行业，电池回收处理需要有专业技术和设备，电解液含有氟化物成分，与水接触会生成有害的氢氟酸，对人体呼吸道有伤害，要交由规范企业操作。只有通过“白名单”制度规范管理，对环保、设备、拆解工艺提出高要求，才能以标杆促进行业健康发展。他认为，“白名单”制度可以进一步优化，建设和申报最好坚持“全国一盘棋”，根据各地电动汽车保有量和增长量，分配指标到各地，增加审核认证的透明度。同时要严格落实有进有出的动态管理机制，保护有生产能力的企业， Let companies that really want to do things do things well in accordance with the rules，让不相关的企业退出。

In Wang Hao's view, the core of the orderly development of the power battery recycling industry is to improve the management system. It is necessary to further refine the operating rules for the landing end, effectively strengthen industry supervision, and severely crack down on illegal recycling. At the same time, increase user education on the hazards and compliance management of used batteries, and even introduce certain incentives or rewards to promote standardized recycling.

The comprehensive utilization of used power batteries is related to the development of the new energy vehicle industry and public environmental safety, so it must be strengthened and done well. "Last year, Fujian, Shenzhen and other places proposed to provide real money subsidies to enterprises included in the 'white list'. With the suspension of the' white list', how to implement follow-up subsidies needs to be straightened out. It is hoped that relevant departments will clarify the declared restart time as soon as possible." The above-mentioned business person said.

original title: Suspension of acceptance of the "white list" of power battery recycling companies arousing heated discussions

Wen| Our reporter Lu Qixiu Yang Zi