The ambitious plan to start making “Made in India” battery cells just hit a major wall. As of Monday, January 12, 2026, reports indicate that Reliance Industries (RIL) has hit the pause button on its lithium-ion cell manufacturing project.
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The thing is, the tech they needed was in China, and Beijing isn’t sharing anymore. Or nothing. Let’s be real, even Mukesh Ambani’s influence has limits when it comes to the “Green Energy Cold War” between India and China. Those too.
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The “Cell-Manufacturing Pause” Log: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where RIL is having to pivot from “making the battery” to “putting the battery together.”
The Failed Handshake: Reliance was deep in talks with Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology (a huge Chinese LFP supplier) to license their cell-making tech. The thing is, the Chinese government pulled the plug. They’ve tightened export controls on any “clean-energy tech” that gives them a global edge.
The Strategic Pivot: Instead of manufacturing cells from scratch, RIL is now doubling down on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Think of these as massive, container-sized battery packs. They’ll buy the cells elsewhere and assemble the units for their own massive solar and wind farms.
Cost over Confidence: RIL looked at tech from Japan, Europe, and South Korea as alternatives. The thing is, those options were way too expensive. With the global market currently drowning in a “battery glut” (oversupply), internal teams decided that building a costly, non-Chinese-tech factory right now was a massive execution risk.
The 2026 Timeline: Despite the drama, the official word from Jamnagar is that the Battery Gigafactory is still on track for its 2026 launch. The thing is, it might just look more like an assembly plant than a raw manufacturing hub in the first phase.
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Reliance’s New Energy Ecosystem: 2026 Status
[Table: Gigafactory Progress at Jamnagar]
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| Component | Status (Jan 2026) | Impact of Tech Stall |
| BESS Assembly | Full Steam Ahead | Priority shifted here to meet renewable targets. |
| LFP Cell Making | Paused | Stalled due to China tech licensing block. |
| Solar PV Plant | Operational | Scaling up to 20 GW annual capacity. |
| Electrolyzers | Target: End 2026 | Vital for RIL’s “Green Hydrogen” by 2032 goal. |
And Here’s the Kicker…
Reliance isn’t alone. Adani and JSW are hitting the same wall. The thing is, India is caught in a “catch-22″—we want to decouple from China, but we still need Chinese blueprints to build the machines that make us independent. And then there’s the US, which is slapping 500% tariffs on anything with Chinese fingerprints, making it even harder for Indian firms to export.
It’s an ongoing situation where the “Reliance Spokesperson” is maintaining a brave face, saying “everything is fine,” while the reality on the ground is a scramble for a new tech partner. If they can’t find a non-Chinese breakthrough soon, that 2070 Net-Zero goal for India is going to look a lot more expensive.
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End…
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