Sichuan's Yibin targets 300b yuan battery output by 2030

Sichuan province's Yibin is set to build a massive power battery industry cluster during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), with annual output value targeted to exceed 300 billion yuan ($44.4 billion) by 2030, local officials said.

Liu Bin, director of Yibin's economic cooperation and emerging industries bureau, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the city's annual power battery production capacity had reached 240 gigawatt-hours, accounting for one-tenth of the global total.

Yibin's rise as a power battery hub has been propelled by investment from Contemporary Amperex Technology, the world's largest EV battery maker, which operates one of its largest production bases in the city. Its presence has helped attract over 100 upstream and downstream projects to the city, covering the entire industrial chain from raw materials to battery pack assembly and recycling.

"With major projects underway, Yibin's power battery production capacity is expected to exceed 300 GWh by the third quarter of this year," Liu said.

Liu added that the city would take a forward-looking approach to next-generation battery technologies and leverage academician workstations and expert teams to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies. He added that the city would accelerate the industrialization of these outcomes.

Du Haiyang, mayor of Yibin, said the city had initiated pilot production of semi-solid-state batteries and aims to industrialize all-solid-state batteries by the end of 2030.

Yibin also plans to upgrade its green recycling infrastructure and build a regional power battery recycling center as part of efforts to foster a circular economy system covering production, use, recycling, and regeneration, according to Liu.

Beyond electric passenger vehicles, Liu said Yibin would develop diverse new application scenarios for power batteries, including electric heavy-duty trucks, electric ships, and power systems for low-altitude aircraft.