The talks could pave the way for Reliance to have a second major source of battery components at its upcoming facility in Jamnagar, a city in the state of Gujarat, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. That could supplement supplies from Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology Co. under a partnership that has run into roadblocks in recent months.
The move comes after Reliance faced setbacks in fully accessing the technological know-how needed to produce lithium-ion battery cells. That has pushed the Indian conglomerate to focus more heavily on packaging pre-made cells into big battery systems as Beijing tightens controls on core battery technology exports.
The Jamnagar energy storage complex, set to be India’s biggest, is central to Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s ambitions to position Reliance as a dominant force in the country’s clean energy transition. The facility and others like it are expected to play a critical role in bolstering the nation’s electricity grid as India rapidly scales up renewable power capacity toward a 500-gigawatt target by 2030.
“Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis,” a Reliance spokesperson said in an emailed response. The company doesn’t comment “on media speculation and rumors” and will make necessary stock exchange disclosures as needed, the spokesperson added.
A representative for Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., or CATL — the world’s largest battery manufacturer — did not respond to requests for comment.
By the end of 2035, the Indian energy storage market is projected to expand dramatically to 336.7 GWh, or 115 times the cumulative installations in 2025, BloombergNEF wrote in a May 6 note. That long-term growth projection underscores why global battery manufacturers, particularly Chinese players such as CATL, are competing aggressively for a foothold in India’s emerging storage market.Reliance and CATL previously discussed a potential technology transfer arrangement that would have allowed Reliance to manufacture cells domestically using CATL’s proprietary technology, the people familiar said. Those talks ultimately collapsed without an agreement, prompting Reliance to pivot to Xiamen Hithium as its primary BESS partner, they said. There is no certainty if the talks this time will result in a partnership.
Instead of seeking deep access to technology, Reliance is now looking at sourcing products to tap China’s scale as a battery producer.
Other Indian conglomerates are also looking to tap Chinese battery expertise. Gautam Adani, chairman of India’s Adani Group, visited CATL’s headquarters in China last year and toured its automated energy storage production lines.
Ningde-based CATL, meanwhile, is accelerating its global expansion, building out manufacturing in Europe with plants in Germany, Hungary and Spain, while navigating US barriers through technology licensing partnerships with Ford Motor Co. and Tesla Inc.
The Chinese company is also pushing into energy storage systems to diversify beyond electric vehicle batteries. After targeting Europe and maintaining a foothold in the US, CATL is now also looking to tap new markets, including seeking a share of the fast-growing opportunity in big battery systems in India.