CBAK Energy Technology Limited (NASDAQ: CBAT) has signed an investment agreement to build a facility producing large cylindrical sodium-ion battery cells and integrated battery systems in the Nanjing Gaochun Economic Development Zone in China.
The new Nanjing plant would add 12 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of annual cell production capacity, with the company planning to advance the project in the second half of 2027, subject to securing financing. Production lines will be designed to manufacture either large cylindrical sodium-ion or lithium-ion cells, with chemistry determined by market conditions and customer demand, according to CEO Zhiguang Hu.
At current lithium-ion cell market prices and full capacity with all output sold, the 12-GWh facility is estimated to generate RMB4.8 billion to RMB5.0 billion (approximately $712 million to $741 million) in annual revenue.
The move comes as CBAK Energy also plans a near-term expansion of its existing Nanjing facility, scheduled for the second half of 2026. That project would add 6 GWh of annual cell capacity, raising total output from the site to 10.5 GWh from its current 4.5 GWh of annual Model 32140 cell capacity. The company is considering two Model 60150 production lines, or alternatively one Model 32140 line and one Model 60150 line, depending on demand.
Hu said the 6-GWh expansion would more than double annual cell capacity at the existing Nanjing facility. At full capacity with all output sold, the expansion is estimated to generate RMB2.4 billion to RMB2.7 billion (approximately $356 million to $400 million) in annual revenue.
Customer testing of CBAK Energy's sodium-ion cell samples is underway across residential energy storage, portable energy storage, and electric mobility applications. The company also operates facilities in Dalian and Shangqiu.
