Liyang溧阳
Tier 4 - County/Small CityA county-level city under Changzhou that has become China's #1 county-level power battery production base. Home to CATL's major Yangtze Delta manufacturing hub and a battery supply chain with 97% completeness, Liyang produces roughly 1/7 of China's power batteries. Also a national leader in smart grid equipment.
GDP
$18B
2023
Population
0.78M
residents
Industry Output
¥218B
all sectors combined
Sectors Active
4
frontier tech sectors
Key Facts
- Battery output broke ¥100B in 2022 — #1 among all county-level cities in China
- 2024 new energy output reached ¥151.5B, battery sales ~1/7 of national total
- Battery supply chain completeness reaches 97%, with 100+ companies in a 3km radius
- National demonstration base for new energy power equipment (smart grid)
- Home to TIES (Tianmuhu Advanced Energy Storage Research Institute), co-built with CAS Institute of Physics
Industrial Development Timeline
Industrial parks established
Liyang launches "One Zone, Five Parks" industrial layout, setting the foundation for manufacturing clusters.
Zhongguancun Science Park opens
Jiangsu Zhongguancun Science & Technology Park opens, later becoming the city's main industrial platform.
CATL arrives
CATL subsidiary Jiangsu CATL invests ¥20B in Liyang, establishing a 2,000-mu battery production base with 10,000+ employees.
Provincial high-tech zone upgrade
The science park is upgraded to Jiangsu Liyang High-tech Development Zone, with national designations for battery and power equipment.
TIES research institute
Tianmuhu Advanced Energy Storage Research Institute (TIES) fully operational, partnering with 400+ battery companies.
Battery output breaks ¥100B
Power battery output exceeds ¥100B — making Liyang #1 among all Chinese county-level cities for battery production.
New energy output hits ¥151.5B
Battery-led new energy output reaches ¥151.5B, with battery sales accounting for ~1/7 of national total.
Manufacturing Sectors
Batteries & Energy Storage
电池与储能
Complete power battery supply chain: cathode/anode materials, separators, electrolyte, structural parts, cell assembly, pack systems, recycling — 97% chain completeness within 3km radius
New Energy (Solar, Hydrogen)
新能源
Smart grid equipment: power cables (nuclear/wind/rail), transformers, smart power transmission systems
Advanced Materials
新材料
High-end stainless steel, lithium battery copper foil, advanced ceramics, new building materials
EVs & NEVs
新能源汽车
NEV components: turbocharger parts, electric axles, airbags, seatbelts, automotive filters
Major Companies
Jiangsu CATL
江苏时代新能源
CATL's wholly-owned Yangtze Delta manufacturing subsidiary. ¥20B investment, 2,000 mu campus, 10,000+ employees — one of CATL's largest production bases.
Founded 2016
Shangshang Cable
江苏上上电缆集团
China's leading insulated wire and cable manufacturer. Produces specialty cables for nuclear power, wind energy, rail transit, and offshore applications.
Founded 1967
Huapeng Transformer
江苏华鹏变压器
National top-10 transformer manufacturer with a national-level enterprise technology center. Products serve power grids across China.
Founded 1970
Leader in smart power transmission engineering, developing underground and submarine cable systems and GIL (gas-insulated transmission line) solutions.
Founded 2003
Kedali (Liyang)
科达利(溧阳)
Major Liyang production base for Kedali, the leading lithium battery structural parts maker. Daily output exceeds 4 million precision components.
Founded 2017
Specializes in turbocharger key components and automotive castings. Based in Liyang's Zhuzhe green casting town, which ranks #1 nationally in casting output.
Founded 2006
History & Context
Liyang's industrial story begins with traditional power equipment manufacturing — cables, transformers, and switchgear that made it a national hub for the electricity supply chain. The pivotal moment came in the mid-2010s when CATL (through its subsidiary Jiangsu CATL) invested ¥20B to build a massive battery production base on 2,000 mu of land, transforming Liyang into a power battery powerhouse. The presence of CATL acted as a magnet, drawing 100+ upstream and downstream companies to form one of China's most complete battery supply chains within a 3km radius. In 2012, the Jiangsu Zhongguancun Science & Technology Park opened (later upgraded to Jiangsu Liyang High-tech Development Zone in 2018), providing the institutional framework for this rapid cluster growth. The establishment of TIES (Tianmuhu Advanced Energy Storage Research Institute), a partnership between Liyang and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics, added a critical R&D layer that bridges lab innovation to factory production.