Li-ion

The global capacity of utility-scale batteries increased more than 12-fold between 2020 and 2024 to 124 GW, while average battery costs fell 58% over the period, according to the Electricity 2026 report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The number of operational battery gigafactories will increase significantly, with more than 30 manufacturing sites expected to be in operation by 2030, targeting a total production capacity exceeding 290 GWh. However, challenges such as raw material and skilled labor shortages, insufficient R&D investment, and a lack of long-term strategic planning remain.

Gujarat-based Powertrac Group has announced an investment of INR 600 crore to establish a 1 GWh containerized battery energy storage system (BESS) manufacturing facility. The facility will focus on lithium iron phosphate (LFP)-based battery pack assembly, along with in-house battery management system (BMS) development and integration.

Epic Energy has selected REFNIC as the technical partner for setting up a lithium-ion battery shredding facility with an installed capacity of 500 kilograms per hour of black-mass production, and a second-life battery assembly plant with an installed processing capacity of approximately 10 MWh per month.

India’s Union Budget 2026–27 extends basic customs duty (BCD) exemptions on the import of capital goods used for lithium-ion cell production for battery energy storage systems (BESS), as well as capital goods required for processing critical minerals. It also removes the 7.5% BCD on sodium antimonate used in solar glass manufacturing.

Luminous Power Technologies has inaugurated its first lithium-ion battery assembly line at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. This new line is designed to produce standalone lithium-ion battery packs, stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS), and automotive battery packs for e-rickshaw applications.

Iola Hughes, Head of Research at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, tells ESS News that 2026 is set to be another strong year for BESS, with forecast additions exceeding 450 GWh and no material supply constraints in sight. Meanwhile, the initial impact of rising lithium prices is already visible at the cell level, but the full effect has yet to ripple through to system pricing.

By 2050, sodium-ion batteries with fast learning rates could deliver storage at 11–14 €/MWh – cheaper than lithium-ion at 16–22 €/MWh – while also offering higher energy-to-power ratios and high cycle durability, a new research finds.

India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has released draft guidelines for the implementation of a Battery Pack Aadhaar system—an indigenous digital identification and data storage mechanism designed to ensure end-to-end lifecycle traceability of batteries, particularly those used in electric vehicles (EVs).

Longer-duration storage, safety-driven procurement and Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) compliance in the United States are accelerating interest in alternative battery chemistries, even as lithium-ion remains dominant amid rising data center demand and tighter supply chain rules.