Major battery aluminum foil project underway in Yichang

A major battery aluminum foil project is going ahead full steam in Yichang.

The HEC Technology project, which uses cutting-edge technology and is worth 10.5 billion yuan (1.46 billion USD), is the largest battery aluminum foil project in China.

Work began on the project just 23 days after it was first proposed. Construction of the main factory building will be completed by the end of this year.

The production of battery aluminum foil requires high precision equipment. This meant digging down 8 meters below ground to install heavy foundations, in the process generating tens of thousands of cubic meters of waste soil.

Fully aware of the strategic importance of the project, government departments solved the problem of soil removal in just one week.

Phase one of the project includes the installation of equipment, planned for March 2023, and production trials, scheduled for October 2023. The second and third phases of the project will start respectively in 2023 and 2025.

The annual output of battery aluminum foil and related materials is expected to reach 200,000 tons, and the annual output value is expected to exceed 8 billion yuan (1.11 billion USD).

A key lightweight material for vehicle batteries, battery aluminum foil helps reduce the dead weight of vehicles, while improving battery discharge performance and battery cycle life. Aluminum-plastic film, made mainly from this material, is used for the soft packaging of lithium battery cells. Until now this branch of the business has been dominated by Japanese and Korean firms.

“This project will allow us to create a complete battery production chain. It will give the high-end battery aluminum foil industry in Hubei a big boost,” said Deng ShiChun, director of the Yidu Bureau of Economic Information and Commerce.