Reliance courts CATL for BESS parts

Reliance Industries is in talks with China’s CATL and other overseas suppliers to procure parts for battery energy storage systems, according to a Bloomberg report published on May 19. The discussions center on components for battery energy storage systems, or BESS, as Reliance pushes ahead with its clean-energy buildout in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Economic Times, citing Bloomberg, said the talks come as Reliance seeks to advance its renewable energy plans while navigating Chinese restrictions on advanced battery technology. ### Which parts of Reliance’s energy plan does this touch? Jamnagar is the center of Reliance’s new-energy manufacturing push. Reliance said in its 2024-25 annual report that the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex spans 5,000 acres in Jamnagar and that its solar and battery giga-factories are progressing, with engineering completed, procurement finalized and equipment deliveries expected in 2025. (bloomberg.com) Battery storage is one piece of that larger complex. Reliance has tied the site to manufacturing across solar, storage and hydrogen-related equipment, and company updates have said the battery factory is targeted to begin operations in 2026. Industry coverage of the company’s 2025 annual meeting said the initial battery capacity is planned at 40 GWh a year, with modular expansion to 100 GWh. (ril.com) ### Why would Reliance source BESS components from outside India? China remains central to battery technology and supply chains. Bloomberg’s report, as carried by Economic Times and other outlets, said Reliance has been trying to secure access to advanced lithium-ion battery manufacturing technology and is now focusing more on assembling pre-made cells and other components into larger storage systems. (ril.com) Earlier efforts to secure technology transfer did not produce an agreement, according to the same reporting. Fortune India, citing Bloomberg, said a proposed arrangement with Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology collapsed after Beijing tightened restrictions on overseas transfers of strategic green-energy technologies. (auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### Why does CATL matter here? CATL is not just another supplier in the story. Bloomberg described the company as the Chinese battery behemoth involved in the talks, and the report frames its role as part of Reliance’s search for global suppliers able to support large-scale storage assembly. The significance is practical rather than announced: if Reliance sources from CATL or similar suppliers, it would give the Indian group access to established battery components for utility-scale systems while its domestic manufacturing base ramps. (fortuneindia.com) That is an inference from the reported talks and Reliance’s existing project timeline, not a stated company position. (bloomberg.com) ### How does this fit with India’s battery manufacturing policy? India’s Ministry of Heavy Industries signed a program agreement with Reliance New Energy Battery Ltd. on February 17, 2025, under the production-linked incentive scheme for advanced chemistry cells. The ministry said the agreement awarded Reliance 10 GWh of ACC manufacturing capacity under the scheme. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) That means Reliance is pursuing two tracks at once: a state-backed domestic manufacturing program and near-term sourcing discussions with foreign suppliers for storage-system components. The reported CATL talks do not replace the local manufacturing plan described by the ministry and by Reliance’s annual report; they sit alongside it. (pib.gov.in) ### What should readers watch next? May 19 is the date of the first published reports on the CATL discussions, and neither Reliance nor CATL had announced a transaction in the material reviewed. The next concrete markers are likely to come from Reliance disclosures on Jamnagar commissioning, battery-factory timelines or supplier agreements, and from any further government updates tied to the 10 GWh ACC program. (bloomberg.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com)