BANPU opens a lithium-ion battery factory in China Continues to increase maximum production capacity in ASEAN up to 1 GWh Ready to support market expansion plan and demand from around the world
Ms. Somruedee Chaimongkol (4th from left), Chief Executive Officer of Banpu Public Company Limited (BANPU),
Mr. Kelvin Lim (3rd from left), Group Chief Executive Officer of Durapower Holdings Pte Ltd., along with
BANPU’s executives, jointly opened a 1 gigawatt-hour lithium-ion battery factory in China.
Banpu Public Company Limited (BANPU), a leading integrated energy solutions company in Asia-Pacific, announced an expansion of its Energy Technology Business Group with an emphasis on the energy storage business. The latest partnership was made with a global partner “Durapower Holdings Pte Ltd.”, a high-tech enterprise specializing in the Research & Development, manufacturing and installation of lithium-ion battery (LiB) and battery systems for automotive and energy storage applications, to officially open a world-class lithium-ion battery factory in Suzhou, China. The battery plant holds the highest production capacity in ASEAN is planned for a 1 gigawatt-hour annual output and highlights the strengths of advanced technology utilization, along with over 40 world-class guarantee standards, including quality certifications and international patents. The collaboration marks BANPU’s confidence to support proactive plans for expanding customer bases in more than 20 existing countries worldwide, including Europe, China, Japan, India, Thailand and ASEAN. The new business expansion corresponds to the continuous growth of lithium-ion battery markets, as well as supporting the increased demand from the electric vehicle (EV) market trends, bus, truck, energy storage systems for households and large renewable energy power generation projects. With this partnership, BANPU is able to underline its leadership on providing sustainable energy with an aim to offer: 1) Consistency and stability of clean energy, 2) Environmentally friendliness, and 3) Affordable pricing. Adhering to the ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) principles, BANPU has; therefore, continuously been on the list of Sustainability Ranking curated by Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2014 till date.
Ms. Somruedee Chaimongkol, Chief Executive Officer of Banpu Public Company Limited (BANPU), said, “BANPU is committed to expanding our business with a strict response to the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) principles. We strive to continue the growth of the Energy Technology Business Group under the ‘Greener & Smarter’ strategy. By acquiring 47% shares of Durapower Holdings Pte Ltd., a leading energy storage operator with its presence around the world for almost 10 years, BANPU is able to respond to the business opportunities that are in line with the growing trend of energy technology demand in the future. At the same time, this partnership also helps strengthen the business ecosystem of BANPU Group. With the investment in the battery business of such a world-class scale, we have achieved increased manufacturing capacity, creating a leap of growth for the Energy Technology Business Group, as well as driving the consistent and continual use of alternative energy in Thailand and in the international markets.”
“BANPU and Durapower focus on developing a lithium-ion battery factory in Suzhou, China with aims to achieve greater efficiencies and productivity using high-tech automation systems. The factory determines quality, safety standards, environmentally-minded features, and supports for future research & development. The annual production capacity from 80 megawatt-hours in 2018 has been beefed up to 1 gigawatt-hour, prompting the plant to hold the highest capacity for the production of lithium-ion battery in ASEAN. Recently in October 18, the factory was officially opened and the production line has commenced a full operation. With this business expansion, BANPU is ready to pace into the energy storage business market and to follow its customer expansion plans in Europe, America and Asia.”
Mr. Kelvin Lim, Group Chief Executive Officer of Durapower Holdings Pte Ltd. said, “The opening of our new and automated manufacturing facility is another significant milestone and commitment as Durapower continues to scale up our global presence to deliver high quality and performance products to our customers in different geographic regions and market segments. Having an Asia-leading energy company as BANPU to be a strategic partner, it helps build confidence and increases the competitiveness of both organizations in order to grow together and to thrive in this highly competitive market sector.”
“This partnership is an extension of production capacity for lithium-ion battery for automotive applications and energy storage systems. Apart from responding to the market trend in the future, this year’s capacity expansion also answers customer needs in the growing electric vehicle sector, along with the plan to improve our Suzhou plant to support BANPU’s business development to tackle the Stationary Energy Storage System market starting in 2020. This factory will be able to extend the capacity of the production line up to a maximum of 3 gigawatt-hours,” Ms. Somruedee concluded.
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About BANPU
Banpu Public Company Limited is a leading integrated energy solutions company in Asia Pacific with 3 core groups of businesses; energy resource, energy generation and energy technology in 10 countries: Thailand, Indonesia, China, Australia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Singapore, Japan, the United States of America and Vietnam.
