Image：Hithium

Hithium has officially opened its long-duration energy storage (LDES) industrial park in Heze, Shandong Province, a $1.9 billion (RMB 13 billion) facility that delivers end-to-end integration from raw materials processing to battery cell and system manufacturing.

The 80-hectare Heze Base is purpose-built for LDES production, encompassing LFP battery cell manufacturing, module and system integration, new material processing, and upstream raw material processing. At its core is Hithium’s fifth-generation production line, which the company says is the industry’s first to exceed 15 GWh in single-line capacity.

The advanced line has driven significant efficiency improvements: a 50% reduction in floor space per GWh, a 58% cut in production manpower, a 13% reduction in manufacturing energy consumption, and a 200% efficiency gain compared to the previous generation. The facility boasts an automation rate exceeding 95%, with over 1,000 quality control checkpoints reinforced by AI-powered visual inspection.

The launch follows Hithium’s December 2025 announcement of its entry into LDES, which included the unveiling of a 1,300 Ah cell, integrated long-duration system, and lithium-sodium LDES solution for AI data centers. The company’s ∞Power8 6.9 MW/55.2 MWh system, described as the world’s first “native” eight-hour lithium battery solution, is specifically designed for eight-hour LDES applications.