CATL is significantly ramping up its sodium-ion battery production following a massive global order. The world’s biggest battery company is spending 5 billion yuan, or about $735 million, to expand its sodium battery factories.
According to a government notice from Ningde city in Fujian, where CATL is based, this new project will let them make 40 GWh more sodium-ion batteries every year. The expansion project will be constructed by CATL’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Fuding Shidai, and will operate independently from existing factory facilities.
The construction period for the entire project is estimated at 24 months, during which new facilities for battery cells, electrodes, capacity testing, and modules will be built, along with related auxiliary infrastructure.
The company plans to purchase world-leading battery manufacturing equipment to build a brand-new, large-scale sodium-ion power battery production line to meet market demand.
With the launch of this sixth-phase expansion project, the total planned capacity of the Fuding Shidai production base will reach 149 GWh.
This ambitious, large-scale capacity expansion plan follows CATL’s recent major market breakthroughs in the commercialization of the new type of batteries.
Just on April, CATL reached a milestone strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese energy storage system provider HyperStrong.
The two parties signed a three-year supply contract for 60 GWh of energy storage sodium-ion batteries, setting a new record for the industry.
CATL said in a statement that this order — the world’s largest for sodium batteries to date — marks the beginning of a new phase of explosive, large-scale growth for the industry.
To establish a global dominant position in this new chemical system, CATL has made massive, long-term financial investments over the past few years.
Official data shows that as of the end of 2025, the battery giant’s cumulative investment in sodium battery research and development had approached 10 billion yuan.
CATL launched its sodium-ion battery brand named Naxtra in April 2025, beginning to explore alternatives to lithium batteries under this new brand.
This battery works great in very cold weather. It’s also cheaper and easier to use for storing large amounts of energy for long periods.
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