(CFP Photo)

Xuzhou hosted the groundbreaking ceremony of BYD’s sodium-ion battery project on January 4 as the city accelerates its key industrial initiatives.

With a total investment of 10 billion yuan, the project will mainly produce sodium-ion batteries, PACK and other related products, with a planned annual capacity of 30GWh. Once operational, the project is expected to foster a 100-billion-yuan green industrial cluster within the Xuzhou Economic Development Zone, greatly advancing the new type of energy system in the city.

The latest investment follows the rapid progress in the blade battery collaboration between Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) and BYD subsidiary FinDreams in November 2022. It took just seven months to complete the major construction of factories and dormitory buildings, with a total floor area of 320,000 square meters. Currently, the project is in the stage of mechanical and electrical installation and internal decoration, with some equipment being installed and debugged on-site. Trial production is anticipated to commence in March.

He Long, Senior Vice President of BYD, said Xuzhou and BYD are keen to deepen cooperation for mutual benefits and this move also mirrors the city’s successful efforts to improve business environment for enterprises.