Hina Battery's production line, located in Fuyang, Anhui province, is the first phase of its 5 GWh project.

Sodium-ion batteries are likely to become more and more of a topic of interest in the battery sector.

The first product from the world's first GWh-class sodium-ion battery production line rolled off the line in Fuyang, Anhui province, on November 29, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), a state-owned power company, announced Thursday.

This is a production line of sodium-ion battery manufacturer Hina Battery and is jointly supported by the CTG's two affiliates, as well as the Fuyang city government, according to a press release from the power giant.

The launch of the product marks the production line's ability to produce GWh-class sodium-ion batteries on a large scale, a milestone for the energy storage industry and the industrialization of sodium-ion batteries, the CTG said.

Hina Battery was founded in 2017 and released its sodium-ion battery the same year.

On December 18, 2021, Hina Battery entered into a partnership with two of the CTG's subsidiaries and the Fuyang city government to jointly build the world's first mass production line for sodium-ion batteries.

The line is planned to have a capacity of 5 GWh and will be built in two phases, with the first phase having a capacity of 1 GWh, which was officially completed on July 28.

Hina Battery's current sodium-ion battery has an energy density of 145 Wh/kg and a cycle life of 4,500 cycles, according to its website.

The company plans to further increase the energy density of sodium-ion batteries to 180-200 Wh/kg and increase the cycle life to 8,000-10,000 cycles.

On the day Hina Battery's GWh-grade sodium-ion battery production line saw its product roll off the line, the company's general manager Li Shujun said in a speech at a forum that its Fuyang production line is scheduled to expand to 3-5 GWh next year.

Chinese power battery makers are actively developing sodium-ion batteries.

CATL unveiled its first-generation sodium-ion battery on July 29, 2021, saying that the energy density of the cell alone has reached 160 Wh/kg, the highest of its kind in the world.

CATL's next-generation sodium-ion battery energy density will exceed 200Wh/kg, it said last year, adding that the company has started the industrialization layout of sodium-ion batteries and plans to form a basic industrial chain in 2023.

A week ago, it was reported that BYD plans to mass-produce sodium-ion batteries in the second quarter of 2023, though this was denied by the company.

On Wednesday, a new report said that BYD's new all-electric mini car Seagull, which is currently undergoing road tests, maybe the first to carry sodium-ion batteries, and the model's launch is expected to be in the second quarter of 2023.