Shandong HiTHIUM has begun production at its Heze Base in China, which the company described as the world’s first integrated industrial park built specifically for long-duration energy storage, or LDES (systems designed to store power for extended periods). The rollout ceremony was held on August 7 in Heze Luxi New Area. The project spans a planned area of about 80 hectares and involves total investment of more than RMB 13 billion across the industrial chain. HiTHIUM said the site integrates LFP battery cell manufacturing, module and system integration, new materials production, and upstream raw material processing, creating an end-to-end setup from materials to cells and systems. The company framed the launch as a strategic step in expanding its global LDES manufacturing and delivery footprint. Wang Pengcheng, Co-founder and CEO of HiTHIUM and Chairman of Shandong HiTHIUM, said the production rollout moves the base into a new stage of scalable manufacturing, market-oriented delivery, and ecosystem development. He said HiTHIUM would pursue industrial leadership through a national LDES cluster, product leadership through full-scenario LDES solutions, and production efficiency leadership through integrated intelligent manufacturing. HiTHIUM also said the Heze Base uses its fifth-generation intelligent manufacturing lines and that these are the industry’s first to exceed 15 GWh in single-line capacity. According to the company, the new generation cuts floor space per GWh by 50%, reduces production manpower by 58%, lowers manufacturing energy consumption by 13%, and improves efficiency by 200% versus the previous generation. The company added that the base has an automation rate above 95% and more than 1,000 quality-control checkpoints supported by AI-powered visual inspection.