BNEF: China dominates lithium-ion battery supply chain, Czechia ranks 15th

China ranked first in the latest lithium-ion battery supply chain ranking compiled by researchers at BloombergNEF (BNEF), overtaking the previous leaders in the field – Japan and South Korea. Notably, the Czech Republic ranked 15th for 2020.

According to the published press release, China’s success stems from strong domestic demand for lithium-ion batteries, at roughly 72 GWh/year, as well as the fact that China operates 80% of the world’s processing capacity for battery raw materials, 77% of global battery cell manufacturing capacity and 60% of capacity for producing individual battery components.

“China’s dominance is expected, given the enormous investments and policies the country has introduced over the past decade. Chinese manufacturers such as CATL have risen from nothing to become global leaders in less than 10 years. The next decade will be particularly interesting as Europe and the US seek to create their own leaders capable of competing with established Asian companies, which are already building manufacturing capacity in both regions,” said James Firth, BNEF’s head of energy storage.

The BNEF ranking provides a snapshot of countries’ current positions as well as an outlook for 2025, assuming development continues along the current trajectory. The ranking focuses on five areas: raw materials, component and cell manufacturing capacity, environmental impact, RII (regulation, innovation and infrastructure), and domestic demand for batteries.

Sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the supply chain are gaining importance, with one of the key factors, according to BNEF, being the use of electricity from low-carbon sources in raw material processing and the production of components and cells. France leads in this area, with the lowest CO2 emissions factor for generated electricity – 28 kg CO2/MWh – thanks to its nuclear fleet.

Notably, the Czech Republic ranked 15th for 2020 and 16th for 2025 in the published ranking. This position was mainly supported by its performance in RII, where it ranked eighth overall among all assessed countries.