Reliance Battery Storage Manufacturing Plans Still On Track, In Line With Target Timelines

Reliance Industries on Monday said its plans for battery storage manufacturing remain unchanged and are progressing in line with target timelines.

Commenting on reports of the conglomerate pausing plans to make lithium-ion battery cells in India after failing to secure Chinese technology, a company spokesperson said, 'We would like to categorically affirm that there has been no change in our plans for creating a world leading battery storage manufacturing ecosystem from cell to containerised ESS, and they are progressing well in line with our target timelines'.

Reliance had previously indicated 2026 as the target to begin manufacturing battery cells.

Its chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani had in August last year told shareholders that Reliance's battery giga factory will start in 2026, and that it will begin with 40 GWh per year capacity and expand modularly to 100 GWh per year.

The spokesperson said updates on new energy business, including battery plans, had been regularly shared in quarterly investor calls, and the next update may happen on January 16, when the third quarter earnings call is scheduled.

"You will note that BESS manufacturing, battery pack manufacturing and cell manufacturing have always been part of our energy storage plans, and we are progressing well in their execution, as already shared earlier," the spokesperson added.

BESS manufacturing refers to the production of Battery Energy Storage Systems, large-scale systems that store electricity for later use, crucial for grid stability, renewable energy integration, and backup power in homes, industries, and utilities.

Reliance has committed Rs 75,000 crore to establish an integrated manufacturing ecosystem for the solar value chain, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and electrolysers at Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Housed at the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Manufacturing Complex, the new facility will form what Reliance says is the world’s largest, most modern, modular and integrated manufacturing ecosystem at a single site.

Reliance has begun construction of an integrated advanced chemical battery manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 30 GWh at Jamnagar. It is also advancing sodium-ion battery technology, which is ideal for stationary storage and two-wheeler batteries, among other advantages, on account of the abundance of sodium.

On the lithium-ion battery front, essential for higher-performance automotive batteries, Reliance can draw upon expertise and experience with its US subsidiary Lithium Werks, which is well versed in LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) batteries, and its UK subsidiary Faradion.