Rept Battero, a Chinese maker of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, has told Da Nang leaders it is studying a plant in the city, according to Báo Đà Nẵng's English edition and the city portal. Company chairman Hu Xiaodong met Party Secretary Lê Ngọc Quang on October 14 and People's Committee Chairman Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng on October 15, alongside Trần Ngọc Dân of Vietnamese group Tân Thành Đô.

Tân Thành Đô has its own proposal: a car-assembly project with a stated capacity of up to 150,000 vehicles a year, aimed at export. Báo Đà Nẵng reports that Rept Battero would supply batteries for car production, partly for overseas markets. Hu said a Da Nang project could be the first step in a longer plan, and invited city leaders to visit the company's operations in China.

Nothing has been decided. The reports give no investment amount, production capacity or timetable, and say the company is still surveying sites and must complete appraisal and secure capital approval. The English edition says the city suggested the Hi-Tech Park; the city portal says only that the Hi-Tech Park and Industrial Zones Management Board will support the survey. Leaders said they hope for a quick investment decision.

Why it matters

Da Nang is courting heavy manufacturing as well as tourism. Báo Đà Nẵng puts the city's foreign-investment base at 1,162 projects worth about US$11 billion, of which 119 projects, about US$878 million, come from Chinese investors. A battery plant would be a supplier for the car-assembly plan, but until an investment approval or site is announced, it remains a pitch.

Sources

This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.