GreenergyDaily

Jan. 12, 2026

Reliance Industries Ltd. has paused plans to make lithium-ion battery cells in India after failing to secure Chinese technology, said people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported.

The Mukesh Ambani-led oil-to-telecoms conglomerate, which had aimed to begin cell manufacturing this year, had been in discussions with a Chinese lithium iron phosphate supplier Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology Co. to license cell technology, according to the people.

Those talks stalled after the Chinese company withdrew from the proposed partnership amid Beijing's curbs on overseas technology transfers in key sectors, the people said. The setback has prompted Reliance to refocus on assembling battery energy storage systems, or BESS — containers for its own renewable power projects, they added.

A Reliance spokesperson denied that there has been any change in the company's renewable energy plans, which include a battery gigafactory it previously said would start operating in 2026.

"BESS manufacturing, battery pack manufacturing and cell manufacturing have always been part of our energy storage plans and we are progressing well in their execution," the spokesperson said in an email.

Reliance's internal teams have concluded that proceeding without access to proven Chinese cell technology would significantly raise costs and execution risks, particularly as global markets are already grappling with excess battery capacity, said the people familiar with the discussions.

Alternative technologies from Japan, Europe and South Korea were assessed but deemed substantially more expensive and less competitive for large-scale deployment in India, the people said.