The press conference for the 2024 World Power Battery Conference (WPBC 2024) took place in Chengdu on August 21. As reported, the WPBC 2024 is scheduled for September 1 to 2 in Yibin City, with preparations nearing completion. The United Arab Emirates will be invited as the guest of honor. Almost 400 guests have confirmed their attendance, and over 180 companies, such as CATL, BYD and Tesla, have lined up to exhibit.

The WPBC 2024 is hosted by the People's Government of Sichuan Province and organized by the People's Government of Yibin Municipality and the Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology. Themed "New Quality Power, Innovative Green Future", the conference will feature an opening ceremony, six thematic sessions, two live-streamed interviews, and an exhibition of achievements, among other activities. The thematic sessions will delve into areas such as cutting-edge battery technologies, new energy storage solutions, the industrial and supply chains in the new energy sector, and regulatory standards for power batteries. The accompanying achievement exhibition will highlight the application of frontier technologies in electric tools, the low-altitude economy, humanoid robots, electric boats, and other innovative scenarios.

This year's conference will welcome the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the guest of honor, with a special ceremony to inaugurate the UAE National Pavilion, and expect to jointly establish a platform for international cooperation in the development of the power battery industry. Furthermore, the WPBC 2024 will witness the signing of multiple major projects, which will help further consolidate resources, foster industry clusters, and reinforce the strength of the industrial chains.

The WPBC 2024 emphasizes the principal role of businesses and is dedicated to creating a platform and providing services for companies. More than 70 percent of the participating guests represent companies in the power battery and new energy vehicle industries.

Sichuan Province, with its abundance of lithium resources and renewable energy, holds a unique advantage in developing the power battery industry. Currently, Sichuan Province has gathered over 200 companies encompassing the upstream and downstream of the power battery industry chain, established a comprehensive system that spans from lithium resource development and upstream materials to battery component production and recycling, and created an industrial layout that is centered in Yibin, with collaborative development across cities and prefectures including Suining, Chengdu, Meishan, Deyang, Dazhou, Ganzi and Aba. In 2023, Sichuan Province's production of power batteries reached 105.4 gigawatt-hours, marking a 27 percent year-on-year increase and contributing to approximately one-sixth of the country's total output. In the first half of this year, Sichuan's power battery production reached 64.6 gigawatt-hours, a substantial 56.4 percent increase year-on-year, accounting for about one-fifth of the national total. By 2025, Sichuan Province is anticipated to achieve a full industrial value of 500 billion yuan in the power battery sector, establishing itself as a region with the most complete industrial chain and the strongest comprehensive competitiveness in the industry.

The World Power Battery Conference, the first major event of its kind in China, was launched in Yibin, Sichuan, in 2022. It has since been successfully held for two consecutive years, leading to the signing of over 100 significant projects and agreed investments surpassing 200 billion yuan.