JAMNAGAR, India — Reliance Industries announced Sunday that its Jamnagar battery cell gigafactory has produced its first commercial-grade lithium-ion cells as part of Phase 1 operations, marking a pivotal milestone in India's ambition to build an end-to-end domestic clean energy supply chain. The announcement, made at the company's ongoing Jamnagar Energy Summit, confirms that the initial 10 GWh module of the planned 40 GWh facility is now operationally active, ahead of the original Q3 2026 target.

The development directly supports the 40 GWh battery energy storage system buildout that Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani outlined earlier this week, with the gigafactory now positioned to supply cells domestically rather than relying on imports from China or South Korea. Industry analysts described the timing as strategically significant, given India's Commercial and Industrial energy storage market is projected to expand thirty-fold by 2032 according to recent sector research.

Reliance's New Energy division said the Jamnagar facility will initially serve utility-scale BESS projects tied to the company's solar and wind generation assets in Gujarat and Rajasthan, before expanding supply to third-party commercial clients by mid-2027. The company confirmed partnerships with domestic engineering firms for the balance-of-plant installations, reducing foreign equipment dependency at a time when supply chain resilience is a top government priority.

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy welcomed the news, with officials noting that domestic cell manufacturing is a prerequisite for the country meeting its 500 GW renewable energy target by 2030. The Jamnagar output brings India into a small group of nations — alongside the United States, China, and Germany — capable of manufacturing grid-scale battery cells at home.

Energy storage investors and analysts are expected to watch closely how Reliance scales Phase 1 output over the coming months, with the full 40 GWh capacity targeted for 2028. The milestone also adds pressure on competitors including Adani Green and Tata Power to accelerate their own domestic manufacturing commitments, setting the stage for an increasingly competitive Indian BESS landscape.