Chinese media reporting ‘pause’ on approvals for new battery energy storage manufacturing projects

China has repotedly instituted an administrative domestic freeze on regulatory approvals for new battery manufacturing capacity. Authorities are conducting ‘an audit’ into operational and planned pipelines across stationary energy storage and electric vehicle cells.

The suspension was first reported over the weekend by Chinese financial outlet Caixin and picked up by Reuters.

ESS News has verified multiple reports across Chinese domestic media confirming that provincial approvals for new or greenfield cell manufacturing plants are temporarily blocked. Projects already under active construction are believed to remain permitted to proceed.

There is no official ministry decree, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) circular, or Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) gazette formally published on government portals.

If confirmed, this may signal the beginning of the end of a largely open process to rapidly build capacity, often via provincial subsidies.

China restored a 2% lithium-ion battery tax after 11-year exemption last month.