Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the significant progress of China Salt Lake's 40,000 tons/year integrated lithium salt project in the Qarhan area of Golmud, Qinghai Province, marking its transition from construction to trial production, which lays a solid foundation for the project's full-scale operation [1]. Group 1: Project Development - The lithium extraction device has successfully completed the intermediate handover, indicating the project's shift to trial production [1]. - The lithium extraction device is a key process unit for achieving the production capacity target of 40,000 tons/year, located in a 35,000 square meter facility, utilizing advanced "continuous ion exchange moving bed + membrane coupling" technology [1]. - The project aims to enhance the efficiency and quality of lithium resource extraction through innovative processes and overall optimization, promoting the lithium industry towards diversification and high-quality development [1]. Group 2: Company Structure and Ownership - China Salt Lake is composed of three entities: Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co., Ltd., Qinghai Huixin Asset Management Co., Ltd., and Wenkang Salt Lake Co., Ltd., with over 15,000 employees and a registered capital of 10 billion yuan [2]. - China Minmetals holds a 53% stake in China Salt Lake, while the Qinghai Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission and Qinghai Provincial State-owned Assets Investment Management Co., Ltd. jointly hold 47% [2]. - The controlling shareholder of Salt Lake Co. changed to China Salt Lake on December 27, 2024, after acquiring over 680 million shares for more than 13.5 billion yuan, resulting in a 12.87% ownership stake [2][3]. Group 3: Financial Aspects - The 40,000 tons/year integrated lithium salt project, initiated by Salt Lake Co. in June 2023, includes the production of 20,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate and 20,000 tons of lithium chloride, with a total investment of approximately 7.098 billion yuan [3]. - Salt Lake Co. plans to apply for a project loan of up to 1.8 billion yuan from a consortium of five financial institutions to accelerate the project's construction, benefiting from a 1.5% interest subsidy from the central government [3].