Global First! Haicheng Energy Lights Up the Energy Storage Battery “Lighthouse Factory,” Leading the Long-Duration Lithium Battery Storage Sector

Recently, the World Economic Forum (WEF) announced the list of new global “lighthouse factories” for 2026, and Haicheng Energy’s Chongqing base was successfully selected, becoming the world’s first “lighthouse factory” for energy storage batteries. This base is also the world’s first mass production site for the 1,000 ampere-hour long-duration energy storage dedicated battery. Through systematic breakthroughs and practices in smart manufacturing and digital transformation, it sets a new standard for high-quality development in the global energy storage industry.

Located in the Tongliang District of Chongqing, the Haicheng Energy base is recognized for its innovative contributions.

The concept of “lighthouse factories” was jointly initiated by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company in 2018, aiming to select exemplary smart manufacturing models that demonstrate leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The evaluation process encompasses multiple dimensions, including production efficiency and sustainable development, representing the pinnacle of global industrial digitization and intelligence. To date, there are 224 lighthouse factories worldwide, with none previously selected in the energy storage battery sector. As one of the 23 newly added facilities, the inclusion of Haicheng Energy’s Chongqing base fills this gap, marking a significant advancement of China’s energy storage batteries in smart manufacturing and digital upgrades, aligning with the global trend towards intelligent and sustainable industrial transformation.

Kiva Allgood, Executive Director of the World Economic Forum, stated, “Today, competitiveness is no longer defined solely by efficiency, but by the ability to perceive, adapt, and respond quickly. This year’s industrial transformation exemplars demonstrate how to scale smart operations, placing resilience and sustainability at the core of industry operations.” The practices at Haicheng Energy’s Chongqing base vividly illustrate this industrial transformation concept.

Intelligent Factories Redefining Energy Storage Manufacturing

Currently, lithium battery energy storage has become a crucial support for enhancing green electricity consumption and strengthening grid stability. While the industry is growing rapidly, it also faces three major challenges: the high compound annual growth rate of market demand, significant downward pressure on product prices, and increasing requirements for consistency in battery cell quality. Traditional manufacturing models are proving inadequate to meet the evolving needs of the industry.

To address this, Haicheng Energy’s Chongqing base focuses on near-zero defect manufacturing, systematic cost reduction and efficiency improvement, and fully integrated intelligent operations. It is advancing digitalization and smart upgrades while continuously exploring lean production and extreme manufacturing techniques, resulting in substantial improvements in critical indicators such as product quality, production capacity, and overall equipment efficiency.

In its “Haicheng Intelligent Manufacturing” practice, the Chongqing base is regarded as a “thinking” factory. It has deployed over 40 digital solutions, deeply integrating generative artificial intelligence, machine learning, and artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) technologies. The facility has implemented numerous innovative technology applications, establishing a comprehensive intelligent control system covering research and development, material selection, production, and product testing, thereby ensuring the high safety, reliability, and performance of energy storage batteries.

Forward-Looking Layout Leading the Long-Duration Lithium Energy Storage Sector

Building on the continuous maturity of its overall intelligent manufacturing system, Haicheng Energy is effectively advancing the forward-looking production line layout for long-duration energy storage scenarios. The company continually innovates and expands the adaptability of its smart manufacturing capabilities across different technological routes and application scenarios. The base has established the world’s first dedicated battery production line for long-duration energy storage.

By June 2025, the ∞Cell 1175Ah long-duration energy storage battery will begin mass production; by October, the ∞Power 6.25MWh 4-hour long-duration energy storage system, equipped with this battery, will commence global delivery. In December, this system was recognized as the sole representative of the energy storage industry at the “14th Five-Year Plan” achievements exhibition for Chinese manufacturing, receiving national-level recognition.

In the future, Haicheng Energy will further leverage its “lighthouse factory” status to lead in smart research and development, intelligent manufacturing, and agile resilient supply chain networks. The company aims to continually enhance the intelligent manufacturing and digital capabilities of energy storage. Acting as an industry “chain leader,” it will drive the digital upgrade of the upstream and downstream industrial chain, building an efficient collaborative ecosystem. By consistently providing replicable smart manufacturing experiences and industrial capabilities, Haicheng Energy seeks to facilitate large-scale, high-quality, high-safety, and high-efficiency production and application of long-duration energy storage batteries and systems, contributing a Chinese solution to global energy’s green and sustainable development.