In order to seize the opportunity in new energy storage and accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, the Xiamen Action Plan for High Quality Development of New Energy Storage Industry (2024-2026) (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan") was recently released by the Xiamen Municipal Development and Reform Commission.

The Action Plan points out the need to steer orderly industry development and enhance the market competitiveness of enterprises. Also, it proposes several goals for the year 2026, such as an annual growth rate of Xiamen's new energy storage industry exceeding 20%, an output of the core industry exceeding RMB 50 billion, an output of related industries exceeding RMB 100 billion, and the cultivation of several leading enterprises with a revenue exceeding RMB 10 billion and a number of technologically competitive enterprises. The purpose is to preliminarily form a resourceful, collaborative, and efficient industrial ecosystem as well as an innovative and internationally influential high ground for the new energy storage industry.
    Xiamen will focus on developing electrochemical energy storage, hydrogen energy storage, new power systems, and new energy storage technologies. It has also formulated sixteen measures falling into six major actions, including the energy storage technology breakthrough action, the energy storage program pilot and incubation action, the energy storage application demonstration action, the energy storage market development action, the energy storage enterprise cultivation and development action, and the energy storage brand-building action.

According to the Action Plan, a number of major scientific and technological innovation platforms will be established in energy storage sectors that are needed by the state and underpinned by Xiamen's industrial foundations. Efforts will be made to enable key technology breakthroughs such as short-term high-frequency energy storage technology and long-term energy storage technology, with a focus on the full-process safety of batteries. Supportive measures will be provided for enterprises and universities to develop full-chain hydrogen energy technology, promote the construction of large-scale scientific research infrastructure for intelligent energy storage, and strive to establish a national laboratory base for energy storage in Fujian.
    Meanwhile, leading enterprises and central enterprises will be encouraged to set up research and development centers in Xiamen. Partnerships will be established with universities and academic institutions to build joint R&D facilities. Enterprises are encouraged to create national key laboratories, national manufacturing innovation centers, and other state-level innovation platforms as well as state-level demonstration projects for energy storage.

According to the Action Plan, a handful of public technology platforms for new energy storage concept verification, technology maturation, trial production, and testing validation will be built in Xiamen Science City and Tong'an-Xiang'an High-Tech City. Efforts will be made to establish a state-level new energy storage demonstration base. The No.2 and No.3 incubators at the Xiamen Science City will serve as a benchmark to draw top-notch scientists, serial entrepreneurs and other first-ranking talent from home and abroad. "Prematurely incubated" partner teams will be encouraged to "piece together" solid technology-oriented startup programs that focus on new energy storage technology and scenes.
    Measures will be taken to explore exemplary applications for taxis (including ride-hailing vehicle vehicles), electric engineering vehicles, and electric & hybrid ships around the requirements of "Electric Xiamen" while erecting an appropriately future-proof power charging and swap network for electric vehicles. Relying on Xiamen Port, Xiang'an Airport, and rail transit hubs, programs around hydrogen ships, auxiliary power unit (APU) replacement facilities for integrated energy storage, and "rail + photovoltaic" green power generation will roll out. Parking lots and logistics parks with appropriate conditions will be rebuilt into exemplary scenarios for integrated photovoltaic storage and charging, hydrogen production and refueling stations, and hydrogen applications for heavy vehicles and machinery.