On May 7, environmental assessment filings published by local authorities in Ningde, Fujian province, showed that CATL’s wholly owned subsidiary Fuding Times plans to invest RMB 5 billion ($735 million) in a new sodium-ion power battery production line. Once completed, the project will add 40 GWh of sodium-ion battery capacity. According to the filing documents, the expansion will cover core facilities including battery cell, electrode and module production plants, while also introducing dedicated sodium-ion battery manufacturing equipment. The project construction status The construction cycle is expected to take 24 months, signaling that CATL has started preparing for large-scale sodium-ion battery commercialization ahead of mass adoption. According to the environmental filing, Fuding Times focuses on battery manufacturing, technology promotion and battery resale businesses, and serves as one of CATL’s key global production bases. At present, phases one through five of the Fuding base have already established a combined capacity of 109 GWh, most of which consists of lithium-ion power batteries. With the addition of the new phase-six sodium-ion battery project, the site’s total planned capacity will rise to 149 GWh. CATL’s first-gen sodium-ion battery By the end of 2025, CATL had cumulatively invested nearly RMB 10 billion ($1.46 billion) in sodium-ion battery research and development. In 2026, CATL accelerated sodium-ion battery commercialization efforts, launching multiple sodium-based products for passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles, while also expanding sodium-ion battery applications in the energy storage sector. At the end of April, CATL signed a three-year 60 GWh sodium-ion energy storage battery supply agreement with HyperStrong, marking the world’s largest sodium-ion battery order to date. CATL’s sodium-ion battery In the automotive segment, CATL previously launched its sodium-ion battery brand “Naxtra,” with energy density reaching 175 Wh/kg. The company said the batteries can support over 200 km of pure-electric range in hybrid vehicles and more than 500 km in battery electric vehicles. In April this year, CATL announced it had resolved key manufacturing bottlenecks and established a mature cost-reduction pathway for sodium-ion batteries. The company said large-scale mass production is scheduled to begin by the end of 2026.
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