Chinese battery materials manufacturer Hunan Zhongke Electric Company has broken ground on an estimated $1.1bn project to establish Oman’s first lithium-ion battery anode materials plant at Sohar Port and Freezone.

The complex will have a total production capacity of 200,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of anode materials, a key component in batteries used by the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

The project will be developed in two phases over six years, with each phase delivering 100,000 t/y of production capacity, according to Hunan Zhongke Electric.

China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation (CNCEC) is carrying out the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works.

Construction of the first phase began on 8 May and commercial operations are expected to start in 2027.

Hunan Zhongke Electric is investing in the project through its wholly owned subsidiary, Zhongke Shinzoom Holdings (Hong Kong), which operates under the holding company Hunan Zhongke Shinzoom Graphite Company.

Another China-based battery manufacturer, JA Solar OM, signed a land lease agreement with Sohar Port and Freezone in May last year to build a manufacturing facility that will produce solar cells and modules.

JA Solar OM plans to invest $565m in the project, which will be located in the second phase of Sohar Port and Freezone and occupy a 32.5-hectare site.

The plant will have a production capacity of 6GW of solar cells and 3GW of solar modules, with operations expected to commence this year.