Zaozhuang Transforms from Coal City to Lithium Battery Hub, Named China New Energy Battery City in 2025

Zaozhuang has transformed from a traditional coal city into a lithium battery industrial hub. In 2021, Xinwangda Power set up operations in the city by founding Shandong Xinwangda New Energy Co. , Ltd. , which became the core enterprise driving the development of the city's lithium battery industry cluster. Leveraging Zaozhuang's industrial chain promotion mechanism, Xinwangda has facilitated the implementation of upstream and downstream supporting projects for eight enterprises. Kedali, a global manufacturer of precision power battery components, achieved rapid establishment. Its phase two project, with a total investment of RMB 1.8 billion, is now operational and can provide 3,000 jobs.

Local enterprises such as Zhongcai Lithium Membrane and Jinggong Electronics have upgraded with the momentum. Zhongcai Lithium Membrane has secured a market share in wet-process separators, while Jinggong Electronics has built an integrated production system from cathode materials to battery pack manufacturing, with products exported overseas. Zaozhuang has constructed a full life-cycle lithium battery industry chain encompassing material research and development, cell manufacturing, testing and certification, terminal applications, and recycling and repurposing. Lianhong New Materials continues to expand capacity in lithium battery solvents and new separator materials. Shandong Gaozhi New Energy Testing can cover full-category standard testing for lithium batteries. Tengzhou Xinwangda Renewable Resources Co. has established a closed loop for waste battery collection, disassembly, regeneration, and remanufacturing, converting spent batteries into raw materials.

Chaoshi New Energy has settled in Tai'erzhuang, leveraging local green electricity resources to reduce energy costs. Zaozhuang's electrochemical energy storage installed capacity ranks among the top in the province, and its energy storage industry cluster has been selected for the province's first batch of future industry clusters. The Shandong Xinwangda Zero-Carbon Smart Valley project has been included in provincial key planning. The China-South Korea joint venture Yienke Tianrun is planning to build a phase three project with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery electrolyte, with the foreign shareholder simultaneously increasing investment. Tengzhou Jinjing's TCO conductive glass has broken foreign technological monopoly. In 2025, Zaozhuang was named a China New Energy Battery Famous City. The city now hosts 280 upstream and downstream lithium battery enterprises, with industry revenue maintaining rapid growth.