Battery plant secures massive orders

By Yan Wanqin.

Yichang Cornex New Energy Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. has recently secured multiple large-scale projects, totaling an energy storage capacity of over 30GWh, equivalent to the full capacity of around 400,000 electric cars.

So far in 2025, Yichang Cornex has attracted major new clients, including China Energy Engineering Group, CRRC, PowerChina, and CNNC Huineng.

The company’s Yichang project involves an investment of approximately 60 billion yuan (US$8.45 billion) and a planned annual production capacity of 150 GWh. 
 

At the CORNEX Lithium-ion Battery Industrial Park in Yiling District, the automated production lines at the #1 and #2 factories are actively manufacturing 21Ah cylindrical cells and 314Ah battery cells.

"Factory #1 produces 80,000 21Ah cylindrical cells daily, while Factory #2 rolls out 50,000 units of the 314Ah battery cells," said Xiao Lili, General Manager of Yichang Cornex. This park stands as Yichang’s largest new energy battery project in recent years.

Meanwhile, Factory #3 has completed trial production and is preparing for mass production of battery packs. At Factory #4, technicians are installing and testing newly introduced intelligent stacking equipment before it’s put into use. The stacking process enhances battery performance by improving space utilization, increasing energy density, boosting safety, and extending cycle life.

“Factory #4 will focus on the production of stacking batteries, filling a gap in Cornex's production capacity to support our expansion into the power battery market," Xiao added.
 

At the packing workshop, workers meticulously assemble battery modules, integrating them into energy storage containers. A robotic arm can complete a module's seal welding in just 6 seconds - a 40 percent increase in efficiency over traditional methods.

"We are currently fulfilling an order from China Three Gorges Group for energy storage containers designed for high-altitude and extreme-climate wind-solar-storage projects," said Yang Yanjun, director of the pack workshop.

Logistics workers are busy loading battery cells onto trucks for national and global markets.

"Yichang's daily production capacity has increased significantly compared to last year, with nearly 100,000 battery units shipped daily. In addition, the upgraded long π 314Ah battery cell - an improved version of the 314Ah battery cell - will enter mass production in the second quarter," said Jiao Linsen, deputy general manager of the company.

Jin Xiaoyan contributed to this story.