Suining: The Light of "Lithium" Ambition Illuminates a New Future as the "Lithium Capital" – Decoding the Rise of the Chengdu-Chongqing Midpoint's Battery Hub
Venue of the Signing Ceremony at the Suining City Key Industries Cooperation Promotion Conference of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Amid the grand blueprint of accelerated integration in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone and the rapid development of a key growth pole for high-quality development in western China, a new energy wave centered on lithium—known as "white petroleum"—is injecting fresh vitality into Suining, located in the heart of the Chengdu-Chongqing region. As a critical raw material for new energy lithium batteries, lithium is a core resource in the global energy transition. Suining, leveraging this strategic resource, has established a comprehensive industrial chain covering lithium ore processing, lithium battery materials, and cell manufacturing, transforming from a traditional city into a national hub for the lithium battery industry.
Suining's lithium battery new energy industry started early and was systematically planned ahead of many others. In 2013, it took the lead in Sichuan province by planning a specialized lithium battery industrial park. In 2019, it was awarded the title "Lithium Capital" by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association. The Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and Government have strongly supported the development of Suining's lithium battery new energy industry. At the Second Plenary Session of the 12th Sichuan Provincial Party Committee in 2022, Suining was entrusted with the development定位 of "building a model city for modernization in the Chengdu-Chongqing central region and becoming the Lithium Capital." The Suining Municipal Party Committee and Government have anchored their goals on the "Lithium Capital," consistently nurturing the lithium battery new energy industry as a leading sector. The Municipal Party Committee Plenary Session passed the "Decision on High-Quality Construction of the 'Lithium Capital' to Lead New Industrialization with Characteristic Advantage Industries," elevating the construction of the "Lithium Capital" to a shining urban名片 for Suining. Suining's lithium battery industry has successively been included in Sichuan's first batch of characteristic advantage industry pilots, provincial-level strategic emerging industrial clusters, provincial-level advanced manufacturing clusters, and national characteristic industrial clusters for small and medium-sized enterprises. It has become the main承载地 for Sichuan's new energy vehicle and power battery industry and has been selected as a characteristic case of high-quality manufacturing development in Chinese cities. In 2024, the added value of Suining's lithium battery new energy industry increased by 21.3% year-on-year, contributing 86.8% to the increment of industrial added value and accounting for approximately one-third of the city's total industrial output. In recent years, it has consistently been the primary driver of stable growth in Suining's industrial economy. Currently, Suining's lithium battery new energy industry comprises 53 large-scale enterprises, with an industrial scale of approximately 67 billion yuan, accounting for about one-fourth of Sichuan's lithium battery industry. It has become the core engine for Sichuan's efforts to build a world-class lithium battery industrial base.
The "Revitalizing the City through Industry" strategy proposed at the Tenth Plenary Session of the 8th Suining Municipal Party Committee aims to build a modern industrial system and promote high-quality economic development by strengthening industrial and manufacturing sectors. As a key part of Suining's "5+1+N" modern industrial system, the lithium battery new energy industry plays a pivotal role in industrial and manufacturing development. Since 2025, the added value of the lithium battery new energy industry has maintained a high growth rate of 15%, reflecting Suining's strategic positioning in both power batteries and energy storage batteries. It also underscores Suining's significance in the global competition for lithium resources.
SVOLT Product Showcase
Strategic Guidance Lays the FoundationIntegrated Development of the Entire Industrial ChainSci-Tech Innovation and Talent Empower the "Lithium" Dream on a New Journey
On June 25, a symposium on building industrial clusters and strengthening chains in Suining City's lithium-ion new energy industry, along with an event for matching enterprise supply and demand, was held. "Focusing on key segments such as upstream resources, midstream batteries, and downstream terminals to achieve synergistic development and enhance capabilities through cluster and chain strengthening" has become the main direction for Suining to seize the high ground in the lithium-ion new energy industry.
In recent years, Suining has anchored its positioning as the "Lithium Capital," coordinating industrial layout and park construction with a "cluster-chain mindset." It has established a full-life-cycle industrial chain encompassing "lithium resource development, lithium battery materials, lithium batteries, end applications, and comprehensive recycling." Each segment has attracted leading enterprises in the national industry, forming an integrated development pattern where "chain leaders gather chain partners, and chain partners support chain leaders."
Shehong City, Anju District, and Pengxi County have respectively defined their roles as the core zone, leading zone, and expansion zone of the "Lithium Capital." They collaborate with Suining Economic Development Zone, Suining High-Tech Zone, Chuanshan District, and Daying County to develop end production and supporting industries across the entire region. The development pattern of "three parks, one zone, and comprehensive regional support" is rapidly taking shape, providing solid support for the differentiated and clustered development of the lithium-ion industry.
Sichuan Yu-Neng (Photo by Zhang Qinbao)
Upstream: "Luring Resources." Leading enterprises such as Tianqi Lithium and Shengxin Lithium hold approximately 11% of global lithium resources. They have deepened cooperation with lithium-rich regions like Ganzi Prefecture and Aba Prefecture, establishing an integrated lithium resource supply system. Currently, the city's production capacity for basic lithium salts has reached 80,000 tons, with output in 2024 accounting for about 7% of the national total.
Midstream: "Strengthening Materials." The city has attracted leading enterprises such as Sichuan Yuneng, Sichuan Liyuan, Fulun New Energy, and Sichuan Langsheng, forming the largest lithium iron phosphate (LFP) production base in China. The annual production capacity reaches 460,000 tons, with output in 2024 accounting for about 18% of the national total. The annual production capacity for precursor materials of cathodes is 170,000 tons, with output in 2024 accounting for approximately 7.5% of the national total. The city has also gathered top anode material enterprises like Sichuan Xiangfenghua and Sichuan Kuntian, with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons, forming a leading lithium battery material industrial cluster in China.
Downstream: "Expanding End Products." The city has introduced end-product manufacturers such as蜂巢能源 (SVOLT) and Tianjin New Energy, with an annual production capacity for power lithium batteries reaching 22 GWh. It has also attracted consumer battery manufacturers like Tianlai New Energy and Jinruitong, with an annual production capacity of 500 million units. Shukuang Huanli has established the province's first full-process lithium battery recycling project, with an annual processing capacity of 20,000 tons of used lithium batteries, achieving closed-loop development from "resources to products to再生资源 (recycled resources)."
In terms of industrial ecosystem development, Suining has established 11 innovation platforms at or above the provincial level, including one national enterprise technology center and one provincial key laboratory. Tianqi Lithium, in collaboration with Chongqing University's Lithium Battery and New Materials Research Institute in Suining and Chengdu University of Technology, co-established the "Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Comprehensive Utilization of Lithium Resources and Basic Lithium Materials for New Batteries." The "Credit Connect" service platform has been launched and put into operation, and the first designated交割库 (delivery warehouse) for lithium carbonate futures in Southwest China and among the first batch nationally has been established. It serves over 200 industrial chain enterprises, with the scale and turnover rate of lithium carbonate deliveries ranking among the top nationally. The National Lithium Battery Material and Product Quality Inspection and Testing Center has officially commenced operations, covering various raw materials such as lithium salts, cathode and anode materials, and electrolytes, as well as end products including power batteries, energy storage batteries, and consumer batteries, achieving full industrial chain testing capabilities. The Lithium Battery Technology College has been established, integrating academic programs into the industrial chain... From carriers to ecological support, Suining has built a comprehensive, multi-level industrial development system, providing wings for the takeoff of the "Lithium Capital."
Sichuan Lithium Source New Materials Company
Efficiency Revolution Exerts Strong Gravitational Pull, Accelerating Project Pace and Transforming "Suining Efficiency" into "Suining Brand"
On July 10, the province’s on-site conference on optimizing the business environment was held in Suining. Representatives from provincial departments and relevant responsible officials from 21 cities (prefectures) visited the Suining Enterprise Smart Service Center, the Intelligent Manufacturing Integration Center for Industry and Education, and the Anju Base of Tianqi Lithium Industry Co., Ltd., among other locations, to explore the "efficiency code" behind Suining’s high-quality business environment. In recent years, Suining has consistently prioritized optimizing the business environment as its "top reform project," accelerating the development of a first-class market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment. This effort has driven the transformation of the business environment from Version 1.0, focused on "streamlined processes," to Version 2.0, centered on "cost control," and now to Version 3.0, aimed at "ecological optimization."
Tianqi Lithium Production Base
"From the initial negotiation to the official signing and then to the start of construction, it took less than a month. Suining's supporting capabilities and efficiency exceeded our expectations!" remarked the enterprise representative, speaking about the landing process of the Anhui Xiangyuan cylindrical lithium battery production project with an investment of 6 billion yuan. This case is a vivid epitome of Suining's efforts to carry out an "efficiency revolution campaign" and optimize its business environment.
In recent years, adhering to the philosophy of "project supremacy," Suining has deeply implemented the "efficiency revolution campaign," accelerated whole-process project services, and continuously optimized its business environment. Suining is increasingly becoming known among enterprises as "the best place to do business."
As the local "smart brain" and "super service front desk," the Suining Enterprise Intelligent Service Center brings together 67 departments, 158 systems, and 12.4 billion data entries. It has built a digital foundation of "3 basic platforms + 6 innovative platforms" and established 19 application scenarios across four domains: "industrial revitalization, attracting investment, efficiency hub, and livelihood paradise." Among these, the "Project Connect" system, characterized by "red-yellow-green code" alerts and one-click scheduling for the entire process, integrates all project phases from planning to completion acceptance into an information management system. This has accelerated project approval and construction progress by over 50%.
Furthermore, Suining focuses on both project construction and investment promotion, adhering to the principle of "streamlining procedures without reducing steps, cutting time in half." It breaks down enterprise service matters into the "smallest granules," ensuring timed, quantified, transparent, and standardized processes. This has reduced enterprise procedures and time limits by 68.8% and 89%, respectively. Suining has also established a "Credit Connect" system based on "three major supermarkets + five-level credit enhancement" and built a "Three-Zero City" support system aimed at "zero certificates, zero trips, zero repetition" to provide precise and efficient services for market entities across the city. These efforts are accelerating the transformation of "Suining efficiency" into the "Suining brand."
Through institutional innovation, process optimization, and service upgrades, the "Suining speed" for project investment and construction continues to set new records. The time cycle for major project investments has been reduced by over 50% compared to previous averages of similar projects. Notable achievements include the 60-day landing of the Jiangdongchi sodium-dry battery project, the 68-day signing of the Wuhan Tianna anode material project, and the completion of industrial and commercial registration for four lithium battery projects worth 5 billion yuan each within 30 days. "Making Suining the best place to do business" has become a cherished goal for the city and a widely praised reputation among entrepreneurs.
At the same time, Suining consistently adopts a user-centric mindset, addressing enterprise needs throughout their lifecycle from the business perspective. It continuously reduces "Suining costs" and accelerates the creation of a "cost洼地 (low-cost zone) and efficiency高地 (high-efficiency zone)."
Since last year, Suining has invested 2.045 billion yuan to upgrade and transform the industrial park power grid. All eight industrial parks now enjoy dual-source power supply, increasing power supply reliability to 99.89% and resolving issues such as "line flickering and power outages" for enterprises. To reduce land costs, Suining has centralized planning with strong supporting facilities, compiled an industrial land "one-map," and established an industrial land "resource reserve pool" with a常态 (regular) reserve of over 10,000 mu of available industrial land, ensuring land security for enterprises and space for industrial layout.
While reducing hard costs, Suining has enhanced soft services: It has strengthened policy integration, allocating an additional 66 million yuan at the city and county levels to support market entities, on top of fully implementing provincial-level policies for economic recovery. It has also reviewed 131 existing policy measures and 13 non-application-based享受 (enjoyment) policies. Additionally, 144 "financial consultants" have been assigned to provide grid-based services to 351 small and medium-sized enterprises, addressing financing needs totaling 7.139 billion yuan over the past three years.
The continuous optimization of the business environment has made Suining a "hotspot" for investment and business. Suining has received "five consecutive excellences" in business environment evaluations. It has innovatively launched the "Ecological Partners Enter Suining Initiative," regularly facilitated industrial and supply chain connections, and formed local clusters where "product libraries" serve as "raw material libraries," promoting a superior industrial ecosystem and lower enterprise costs. The supporting rate for the lithium battery new energy industry in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle exceeds 50%.
Meanwhile, leveraging the magnetic effect of local backbone enterprises, Suining has collaboratively introduced upstream and downstream supporting projects, achieving cluster fission effects such as "Shengtun's nine consecutive investments," "Fulin's four consecutive investments," and "Nabe Beer's one-dragging-seven," where "introducing one leader drives a series of projects and activates a cluster of industries." Data shows that since the beginning of this year, Suining has attracted 90 projects worth over 100 million yuan each, with a total investment of 111.44 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 232%. Among these, 11 are industrial projects worth over 5 billion yuan. The successful signing of the Guangdong Xiandao project, in particular, marked a "zero breakthrough" for Suining in securing a 10-billion-yuan project over the past three years.
Today, more and more enterprises are choosing Suining, investing in Suining, and succeeding in Suining, collectively writing a new chapter in Suining's development as the "Lithium Capital."
Chongqing University Lithium Battery and New Materials Research Institute in Suining
Collaboration and Coordination Forge a New PathDifferentiated Development of "Three Parks and One Area" Deepens Industrial Synergy and Supporting Services Between Chengdu and Chongqing
On September 6, more than 50 overseas Chinese business representatives gathered in Suining, Sichuan, marking the beginning of the Suining segment of the Sichuan-Chongqing tour. At Suining Tianqi Lithium Industry Co., Ltd., the world’s advanced battery-grade lithium carbonate production line left the delegates in awe. "With a total investment of 1.43 billion yuan, the project achieved an output value of 3.05 billion yuan in 2024. Its product purity exceeds 99.5%, providing core raw materials for the lithium-ion battery industry," introduced the project manager.
"After visiting the lithium battery factory, I was impressed by Suining’s rapid development. As an economic corridor between Chengdu and Chongqing, I believe Suining has enormous potential for growth," said Hong Laixi, Honorary President of the Federation of Malaysian Chinese Clan Associations, who praised the project highly, amazed by Suining’s industrial foundation and scale in the lithium battery and new energy sector.
"The Shehong Lithium Battery Chemical Park serves as the core, the Anju Chemical Park takes the lead, and the Pengxi Supporting Park expands the space. Only when each county, district, and park fulfills its role and collaborates effectively can Suining’s lithium battery industry achieve a development trend where 'many hands make light work,'" explained a relevant official from the Suining Development and Reform Commission. To avoid homogeneous competition, Suining has refined a unique industrial label for each county and district park within the industrial framework of "city-wide coordination and district-specific breakthroughs," establishing a development pattern of "three parks and one area, with comprehensive supporting services" to promote differentiated and synergistic development of the lithium battery industry.
The Shehong Lithium Battery Chemical Park, as the core area of the "Lithium Capital," has gathered leading enterprises such as Tianqi Lithium Industry, focusing on core industries like lithium battery materials and becoming the "main force" in the city’s lithium battery industry development. The Anju Chemical Park, as the leading area of the "Lithium Capital," has introduced major projects such as Anhui Xiangyuan, driving the lithium battery industry toward the high end of the value chain. The Pengxi County Supporting Park, as the expansion area of the "Lithium Capital," focuses on industries like lithium battery material precursors, providing supporting services for the core and leading areas. Meanwhile, the Suining Economic Development Zone, Suining High-Tech Zone, Chuanshan District, and Daying County develop supporting industries to achieve city-wide industrial synergy.
Simultaneously, Suining fully leverages its advantages as a national logistics hub and a key node city between Chengdu and Chongqing, actively integrating into the industrial cluster of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. It deepens industrial collaboration with Chengdu and Chongqing, establishing the Suining Lithium Industry Association. The series of group standards for "Lithium Iron Phosphate" were awarded the title of "Leader" in national chamber of commerce group standards. Additionally, the southwest region’s first industrial internet identification解析 node for lithium-ion battery manufacturing was built. Guided by the integration of the industrial and supply chains, Suining is accelerating the empowerment of enterprises through "intelligent and digital transformation" and strengthening the industrial ecosystem.
Shehong Lithium Battery High-Tech Industrial Park
Anchoring a 100-Billion-Yuan Industry and Embarking on a New JourneyForging New Pathways and Seizing the High Ground to Make the Global Lithium Battery Industry Shine Even Brighter
Suining has proposed to prioritize industry and focus on manufacturing, steadfastly pursuing a new path of industrialization. By equally emphasizing “supporting both large corporations and small enterprises while upgrading traditional industries and fostering new ones,” and strengthening the mindset of “building ecosystems and reinforcing chains,” the city aims to enhance its competitive industries, rejuvenate traditional sectors, and expand emerging industries. The goal is to achieve a total industrial output value exceeding 200 billion yuan by 2026. Efforts will be accelerated to cultivate three 100-billion-yuan industrial clusters: lithium battery new energy, food and beverage, and oil and gas chemicals.
Standing at a new developmental starting point, Suining is not resting on its existing achievements. Instead, with a broader vision and longer-term perspective, the city is leveraging industrial parks to venture into new sectors such as sodium batteries and solid-state batteries. This initiative aims to drive the lithium battery new energy industry, one of the “three 100-billion-yuan industrial clusters,” toward higher quality and more advanced development, striving relentlessly to achieve the goal of a 100-billion-yuan industry.
In the field of solid-state batteries, Tianqi Lithium is accelerating the industrialization of lithium sulfide production technology, while Shengwei Lithium has begun construction on a project for solid-state battery lithium metal anodes. Additionally, a project for 10GWh solid-state lithium batteries and 50,000 unmanned logistics vehicles has been signed and launched, creating a synergistic development between battery manufacturing and application scenarios. Key segments such as critical lithium materials, lithium metal anodes, solid electrolytes, and solid-state batteries have been strategically positioned, laying a solid foundation for the industrialization of solid-state batteries.
In the sodium battery sector, Suining has successfully attracted projects such as Jiangxi Dongchi’s sodium dry battery investment worth 5.2 billion yuan and Wuhan Tianna’s anode material investment worth 5.8 billion yuan. These projects fill the gap in Suining’s sodium-ion battery manufacturing industry, accelerate the construction of the sodium battery产业链, promote the parallel development of lithium and sodium technologies, seize the high ground in future new energy industry competition, facilitate breakthroughs in new industrial pathways, and inject new momentum into the new energy sector.
The 2025 Suining International Lithium Battery Industry Conference, themed “Advancing Lithium with New Quality Intelligence to Win the Future,” is set to open in Suining on September 19. Leveraging this international conference, Suining has set clear investment targets: sign another batch of major projects, focus on 14 mature projects under negotiation worth over 500 million yuan each, such as Sichuan Baisege and Heyuan Lithium Innovation, and promote the signing of projects like Beijing Hedian in the third quarter. Additionally, efforts will be made to accelerate the construction progress of projects worth over 5 billion yuan, such as Anhui Xiangyuan’s cylindrical lithium battery project and Fuling New Energy’s lithium battery cathode material production project, with the aim of completing the first phase within the year. Furthermore, the city plans to secure a new batch of effective investment information, targeting over 30 new valid project leads worth over 1 billion yuan in the second half of the year, to reserve momentum for the sustained development of the lithium battery industry.
Sichuan Baisige New Energy Co., Ltd.
For Suining, lithium battery has never been an isolated industrial symbol, but rather a "growth DNA" deeply embedded in the city's fabric. It brings the graceful presence of new energy vehicles to its streets and alleys, infuses reliable energy from storage power stations into the light of countless households, and transforms the blueprint of "revitalizing the city through industry" into tangible life scenarios. Moreover, with a solid layout spanning the entire industrial chain—from raw materials to battery products and recycling—it demonstrates the inevitable path toward building a strong industrial city.
Today, leveraging the synergistic framework of "Three Parks and One District," the city is forging ahead with both "hardcore" strength and "warmhearted" cultural heritage. The upcoming 2025 Suining International Lithium Battery Industry Conference will further establish Suining as a key hub and platform for gathering global expertise and connecting international resources. It will contribute remarkable "Suining answers" to the national "Dual Carbon" goals and inject vibrant "Chinese wisdom" into global green development.
(Qilin)(Photos provided by the Publicity Department of the CPC Suining Municipal Committee, unless otherwise noted)