Reliance Industries on January 12 reaffirmed that its plans for battery storage manufacturing remain unchanged and are progressing as per schedule, pushing back against several reports suggesting the company had paused lithium-ion battery cell production plans in India.
Responding to speculation that the conglomerate had halted its battery cell ambitions after failing to secure Chinese technology, a Reliance spokesperson said there had been “no change” in the company’s strategy.
“We would like to categorically affirm that there has been no change in our plans for creating a world-leading battery storage manufacturing ecosystem from cell to containerised ESS, and they are progressing well in line with our target timelines,” the spokesperson said.
Reliance has earlier indicated that commercial manufacturing of battery cells is targeted to begin in 2026. Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani reiterated this roadmap during the company’s annual general meeting in August last year, stating that the battery giga factory would start operations in 2026 with an initial capacity of 40 GWh per year, which will be expanded modularly to 100 GWh annually.
The spokesperson added that updates on Reliance’s new energy businesses, including battery manufacturing, have been consistently shared during quarterly investor calls. The next update is expected during the company’s third-quarter earnings call scheduled for January 16.
“You will note that 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, as already shared earlier,” the spokesperson said.
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are large-scale systems that store electricity for later use and are critical for grid stability, renewable energy integration, and backup power across residential, industrial, and utility applications.
During its second-quarter earnings call, Reliance had said it was rapidly constructing both its battery and electrolyser giga factories. The company reiterated that its battery giga factory would commence operations in 2026, while the electrolyser giga factory is expected to be operational by the end of 2026, with a scalable capacity of up to 3 GW per year to support cost-competitive green hydrogen production.
In its Q2 investor presentation, Reliance highlighted significant progress at the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex in Jamnagar, which spans 5,000 acres. The company said engineering for its solar and battery giga factories has been completed, procurement finalised, and equipment deliveries are expected in 2025.
The presentation also noted that Reliance is building a 30 GWh advanced battery giga factory, scheduled for progressive commissioning during 2025-26. The facility will initially assemble Battery Energy Storage Systems before integrating backward into cell manufacturing and battery chemicals, creating what the company describes as the world’s only fully integrated battery giga factory.
Additionally, Reliance plans to operationalise a multi-gigawatt electrolyser facility as part of its green hydrogen strategy. The company has entered into a technology licensing agreement with Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser AS, granting Reliance an exclusive licence to manufacture and use Nel’s alkaline electrolysers in India and for global captive use. Reliance has also acquired Nauyaan Shipyard near Dahej to support electrolyser manufacturing and fabrication.
