EnergyTrend has learned that there have been intensive dynamics in the energy storage battery industry chain recently. Samsung SDI, Namey Tech, and Yongshan Lithium have successively reported key progress, including a 27GWh overseas base, a 1.5GWh sodium-ion battery production line, and a 22,000-ton lithium carbonate project.
Samsung SDI's 27GWh Factory Prioritizes Conversion to Energy Storage Battery Production
According to foreign media reports, on August 11, Samsung SDI announced plans to acquire General Motors' (GM) 49.99% stake in their joint venture, Synergy Cells. The joint manufacturing project will be terminated, and the factory will be converted into Samsung SDI's first wholly-owned battery base in North America.
Located in New Carlisle, Indiana, USA, the factory has a total planned investment of $3.5 billion, with a first-phase capacity of 27GWh and a long-term expandable capacity of 36GWh. It is currently still in the construction stage and was originally scheduled to mass-produce high-nickel prismatic power batteries for GM in 2027.
Following the equity change, this under-construction factory will prioritize the production of energy storage batteries upon commissioning. Meanwhile, the production line will retain its compatibility to manufacture next-generation prismatic batteries for vehicles jointly developed by both parties in the future.
Alongside the conclusion of the manufacturing partnership, Samsung SDI and GM signed a joint development agreement for next-generation prismatic batteries, continuing their cooperation at the automotive battery technology level. The consideration for the equity acquisition transaction was not disclosed.
Previously, another Samsung SDI factory located in Indiana, the StarPlus Energy joint venture with Stellantis, had already modified part of its production lines to accommodate energy storage battery production.
Namey Tech's 1.5GWh Sodium-ion Battery Production Line Soon to be Commissioned
On August 18, Namey Tech announced that its Bazhong base will be put into operation in mid-September. Data shows that Namei New Energy Technology (Bazhong) Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary and core mass production base invested and established by Namey Tech in Bazhong City, Sichuan Province.
The 1.5GWh sodium-ion battery project, which is soon to be commissioned, has a total investment of about 500 million RMB and a factory area of 30,000 square meters. Currently, equipment installation, process debugging, system joint testing, on-site acceptance, and other tasks are nearing full completion, and the project will be ready for official commissioning.
Namey Tech also disclosed that it has signed orders with multiple industry entities, including Wanyang Group, XJ Energy Storage, Carku, Dongxin Electronic Control, Sanxia Energy, and Tongji Power. It holds a cumulative total of 890 million RMB in various orders on hand, which have been systematically scheduled into subsequent production plans.
Hunan 22,000-Ton Lithium Carbonate Project Soon to be Commissioned
According to news from the "Wangcheng Economic and Technological Development Zone," the main structure of Yongshan Lithium's project with an annual output of 22,000 tons of high-purity lithium salts was recently fully capped, sprinting toward the completion deadline at the end of September.
Once the project is put into operation, Yongshan Lithium's total production capacity will increase to 60,000 tons per year. It is reported that the project settled in Changsha in 2019; the first phase was commissioned in 2022 to form a capacity of 25,000 tons, and the second phase reached capacity in 2024, raising it to 45,000 tons. Its products are widely used in the new energy electric vehicle market, consumer electronics, energy storage, and other fields.
Furthermore, in early July, the launch ceremony for the lithium salt project (Phase I) of Sichuan Yongshan Lithium Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Yongshan Lithium, was held in Nanchong, Sichuan. The project has an estimated total investment of 5 billion RMB and will be steadily advanced in two phases of construction.
Source：EnergyTrend