Launch of an electric battery manufacturing facility

The head of state emphasised the need for continued technological improvement and the implementation of new, promising achievements in the energy sector.

The opening ceremony was attended by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Director General of Rosatom State Corporation Alexei Likhachev, Renera Director General Anastasia Mikhailova, and Sberbank Deputy CEO Anatoly Popov.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today, I propose discussing an issue of great significance for strengthening Russia’s technological sovereignty, developing modern economic sectors, improving the quality of life for our people, and addressing environmental issues. We will talk about the development of the national energy storage industry.

It is common knowledge that there is a growing demand for such systems. They are used to manufacture various civilian and special-purpose products, such as autonomous systems, robotics and environmentally friendly electric vehicles. To develop these promising sectors, we need to produce our own energy storage systems.

I would also like to point out that energy is a basic economic resource, and therefore we need to accelerate the integration of battery storage systems into the power grid, especially in regions that are short of energy. Also, these storage systems can be used to service the growing capacity of data centres.

We need to formulate a legal framework with common requirements regarding the quality, safety and life cycle of energy storage systems, including their repeated use. Of course, we will increase the national manufacturing of such products, continue to improve energy storage technologies, and tap into new areas of their application.

Last year, Rosatom opened a large storage systems production facility in the Kaliningrad Region. The plant is working in test mode.

Today, we will take the next step, launching one more Rosatom energy storage facility in Moscow. Overall, a high-tech industrial cluster is being created in the capital to manufacture various types of energy storage products. It is extremely important that its residents will implement both research and design projects in this sphere.

I would like to acknowledge that the delivery of such a large-scale project has been made possible, in part, due to the support of the Moscow Government, under the leadership of Sergei Sobyanin. It is expected that by 2030, once the new facilities reach their planned production capacity, our country will be able to meet most of domestic demand for batteries independently.

A key issue, of course, is the localisation of production. To establish an end-to-end supply chain that relies primarily on Russian raw materials, we must step up the development of mineral deposits – above all, critical minerals for energy storage systems – and deploy cutting-edge technologies, materials, electronics, and software.

I call upon the state, major businesses, metallurgical and chemical companies, and research and educational institutions to join forces in addressing this challenge. I would also note that to accelerate the development of our own technologies, we need to draw upon the best practices of our foreign partners; we intend to build mutually beneficial cooperation with them.

Furthermore, it is critically important to look ahead right now and focus on creating advanced, state-of-the-art solutions, including so-called “post-lithium” technologies. These enable the production of energy storage systems that are more energy-dense and environmentally friendly. Support for the manufacture of such innovative products and their components is provided for, among other things, under the New Nuclear and Energy Technologies national project.

Let me emphasise once again: Technological leadership is impossible without the successful development of the energy sector and the creation of state-of-the-art, high-capacity energy storage systems. In this regard, I would like to highlight for state corporations, large and small technology companies, and startups the need for continuous technological improvement in this field and the widespread practical implementation of new, promising developments. For its part, the state will provide comprehensive support in this endeavour. We are providing this assistance because we know that this process entails a wide range of significant incentives, particularly in the tax sphere, designed to facilitate the launch of production.

I propose that we discuss these and other issues in detail during our meeting.

Before we get down to business, I suggest we hear from our colleagues in Moscow.

Mr Sobyanin, the floor is yours.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

Mr President, acting on your directive, we are working to achieve technological sovereignty. Within Moscow’s special economic zone, 250 high-tech enterprises have already been set up, many of which you and I inaugurated together.

Today marks the opening of a new cluster – electric batteries – the largest in the country and one of the most advanced in the world. It comprises two gigafactories.

The first factory is the one you instructed us to build during a meeting on unmanned systems in Samara. You asked German Gref and me to ensure the production of batteries, specifically compact batteries for drones and various consumer devices, ranging from bicycles to battery systems for data centres, and so on. It is, in short, a major facility.

Following your directive, we finalised all design work within six months, and the factory was built in just 14 months; we have already obtained the commissioning permit. Equipment installation and calibration are currently underway, and we hope to start production by the end of the year.

The second gigafactory is the one where we are currently located. It is a joint project with Rosatom. In a little over two years, we built a modern plant – constructing the facilities and handing them over to our partners for equipment installation and setup. Today, the facility is virtually ready for operation.

Why are we pursuing this project? Because Moscow is currently a major consumer of traction batteries. This includes electric buses, electric cars, and electric boats; in the near future, it may also extend to metro trains, trams, and so forth. That is a substantial market. Today, the battery accounts for up to 40 percent of an electric vehicle’s cost; software and microchips make up about half of that cost – and all of these components are imported.

Without a modern domestic battery, therefore, there can be no technological sovereignty. This is one of the key technologies we are launching today, in accordance with your instructions.

Allow me to give the floor to Mr Likhachev. But first, I would like to mention that, in addition to these two gigafactories, a major R&D centre is being established here for research and for producing prototypes of new batteries.

One further area concerns the testing and certification of finished products – electric batteries.

Mr President, currently we send our products abroad, where they undergo certification for as long as two years. In doing so, we divulge all our trade secrets: software, technology and so on. This is an entirely unacceptable situation.

Therefore, in conjunction with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, about six months ago we took the decision to create a new, modern domestic certification centre. We are fully financing it and will manage it in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Next year, I hope, this certification centre will be launched. This will provide us with our own national centre, which will enable us to oversee product quality and ensure compliance with the requirements for manufactured goods, including those imported into our country. This is a highly important area, and we are actively working on this project.

I would now like to give the floor to Mr Likhachev.

Director General of Rosatom State Corporation Alexei Likhachev: Mr President,

I would like to thank you, and the Government, for incorporating this very inspiring and important task into our national project – the creation of an entire industry, a new industrial sector focused on the production and use of energy storage devices.

It is neither the first nor the only task of such magnitude, but it has brought together all of Rosatom’s competencies, and we are involved across the entire spectrum: from lithium extraction in Russia and abroad to the reintegration – not merely disposal, but the reintegration – of elements, chemical elements and metals into a closed production cycle. In other words, a closed-loop industry is being created, in which modern technology is key.

In recent years, we have mastered this technology both as a standalone solution and within the framework of full-cycle production, with potential for development – Mr Sobyanin has already mentioned the development centre, which is also localised here in Moscow, at this site – and with prospects for the further use and development of these technologies, including at the so-called post-lithium stage.

We are very grateful to the Moscow authorities. In 2023, we signed an agreement under which they assumed all responsibilities and made investments for the construction of buildings and facilities that meet all technological standards. This has allowed us to devote more resources to the technology chain itself.

Construction began in 2024, and in 2025, we started delivering equipment. It is noteworthy that, thanks to our joint efforts, primarily with the Moscow City Government, the original target set in 2023, namely to launch industrial operations in September 2026, remained unchanged. We have successfully prepared for this deadline: this September.

You mentioned the Kaliningrad plant. It represents a further expansion of the project, and perhaps it will not be the last gigafactory to be built in Russia, but the core of our technology development and refinement will remain here in Moscow.

Now, a few words about the facility itself. It is unique: essentially, it combines three plants in one. First, there is the production of electrodes and electrode tape, which is the basic material used for energy storage. Second, there is the highly automated production of lithium cells – the basic energy storage unit, the “atom” from which all energy storage systems are built. And third, there is the robotic, integrated assembly of the battery itself, tailored to specific customer requirements –whether for a standard passenger car, a truck, an electric vessel or an industrial energy storage system. We also have dedicated technologies for residential energy storage solutions.

The line has a capacity of one cell per second, or 18 million cells annually. That is enough to equip up to 50,000 electric vehicles within a year. This represents a significant share of the market, all supplied by this single facility.

Mr President, the level of automation here is extremely high: 95 percent. Yet our greatest asset remains our people – the professionals who will drive this technology forward. We will reach peak employment of 1,300 people in the third quarter of next year. The core team is already in place. I would like to emphasise that the average age of the team is under 34. The R&D centre is staffed by even younger people, under 30, who are graduates of St Petersburg Polytechnic University, the Faculty of Chemistry at Moscow State University and, of course, Bauman Moscow State Technical University. It is a very young, highly talented and impressive team, Mr President.

Allow me to introduce Anastasia Mikhailova, Director of our Renera production association, who will report on the facility’s readiness.

Vladimir Putin: Please, go ahead.

Renera CEO Anastasia Mikhailova: Good afternoon, Mr President.

The gigafactory is ready to launch commercial operations. The main processing equipment has undergone comprehensive testing, and the engineering systems are delivering the required environmental parameters.

Please allow us to start production.

Vladimir Putin: Please, proceed.

(Video presentation is shown.)

Vladimir Putin: Mr Sobyanin, Mr Likhachev, Ms Mikhailova,

I would like to congratulate you and all of your colleagues who have been engaged in this matter on today’s event. I believe this milestone represents another positive step forward in addressing one of the key challenges we have been discussing: energy storage and the associated manufacturing sectors.

The state, for its part, is indeed doing everything possible to support these efforts. I have already mentioned the truly wide range of incentives the government provides: a two percent corporate profit tax rate – which does increase, yes, but gradually, over years – as well as the elimination of various other taxes, such as land tax among others.

In short, we recognise the importance of this work and will fully support such high-tech initiatives.

Once again, congratulations, and all the best.