Guided by the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, regions across the country are stepping up efforts to attract lithium-ion battery-related projects, fostering the development of industrial clusters, and driving the rapid growth of the lithium-ion battery and new energy industry. Against this backdrop, power battery companies led by CATL have accelerated the implementation of their projects this year.

Recently, CATL and the Jiangxi Provincial Government signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement in Nanchang. During the signing ceremony, the Yichun Municipal Government also signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with CATL.

Under the framework agreement, CATL will establish new lithium-ion battery manufacturing bases and corresponding upstream material production facilities—such as lithium carbonate plants— in the Yichun Economic and Technological Development Zone and related counties, districts, and cities , thereby attracting upstream and downstream enterprises to settle in Yichun.

Jiangxi’s partnership with CATL is one of the province’s most successful investment attraction projects .The 50 billion yuan investment is not only the largest total investment and single-phase fixed-asset investment project in Yichun’s history but also the largest single-project investment in the high-tech new energy industry in Jiangxi’s history.

This partnership will have a significant impact on Jiangxi, CATL, and the entire new energy industry, as a grand feast is slowly unfolding.

[ CATL ]
Expansion Is Inevitable

As the global "pioneer" in lithium-ion power batteries, CATL has been making major announcements throughout this year. Not long ago, CATL established its Southwest Headquarters in Yibin, focusing on the comprehensive construction of the CATL Southwest Center in Yibin’s Sanjiang New District. Centered around the Sichuan CATL production base and industrial chain, the company is building its Southwest Headquarters and R&D Center.

Shortly thereafter, on July 29, CATL held its first-ever global press conference, officially launching its first-generation sodium-ion battery, which instantly sparked widespread market discussion.

Furthermore , at the outset of the 14th Five-Year Plan , CATL fired the first shot of its 2021 investment promotion campaign in Liyang, Jiangsu, committing 10.5 billion yuan to an expansion project in the Zhongguancun High-Tech Zone of Liyang City. Less than a month later, the company announced a 12 billion yuan investment to establish operations in Zhaoqing.This series of moves by CATL has laid the foundation for solidifying its leading position in the power battery industry.

[ A Perfect Match ]
Industry Leader Partners with Asia’s Lithium Capital

In recent years, driven by accelerating demand in the downstream power battery sector, the mismatch between supply and demand has led to a sharp rise in the cost of lithium battery raw materials, while lithium resource supply has become increasingly tight. To facilitate access to upstream lithium resources and reduce production and transportation costs, companies are increasingly choosing to locate their power battery operations in regions with concentrated industrial clusters.

As lithium ore is a critical strategic resource for the future development of the lithium battery industry, relevant companies are rushing to secure their positions and stabilize raw material supplies . Yichun City, home to the world’s largest lithium mica deposit, is renowned as the “Lithium Capital of Asia.” Currently, CATL’s demand for upstream lithium resources is growing increasingly urgent, and Yichun perfectly addresses the primary issue of insufficient raw material supply.

Furthermore , Yichun possesses a solid foundation in the lithium battery industry, which is inextricably linked to the introduction of well-known domestic enterprises such as Hong Kong Guowei, Shenzhen Foster, and Guoxuan High-Tech. Guided by its lithium battery industry development plan and leveraging its resource advantages, Yichun continues to attract leading enterprises , building a complete lithium battery industrial chain and making the clustering effect of the industry increasingly evident.

In fact, the launch of the Yichun project is merely a microcosm of the rapid development currently underway in the power battery industry. Since the beginning of this year, many regions have prioritized the lithium battery industry, actively attracting major players and supporting leading enterprises. This includes substantial investments by powerhouse companies such as BYD, AVIC Lithium Battery, and CATL to “stake their claims,” with projects worth tens of billions frequently making headlines.

From this perspective, the collaboration between CATL and Yichun is also an inevitable trend that has been foreshadowed for some time. Currently, Yichun is developing at full speed along the complete lithium-based new energy industrial chain—spanning from lithium ore raw materials, lithium carbonate, and lithium battery materials to lithium batteries and electric vehicles—and has already formed a relatively comprehensive lithium-based energy industrial cluster. It is believed that once CATL begins production, it will inject even more vitality into the industrial chain development and clustering of the “Lithium Capital of Asia.”