China’s Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech plans to invest €100.5 million in a battery factory in Serbia, marking the company’s first overseas production site and adding momentum to Belgrade’s efforts to attract higher-value manufacturing in batteries, robotics and unmanned systems.
The new plant will be built in the high-tech zone of Inđija, northwest of Belgrade, under a framework agreement signed between the company and Serbian authorities.
The facility will produce advanced batteries for drones, humanoid robots, unmanned vehicles, power tools and household appliances. This places the investment outside the utility-scale battery storage market while positioning it within the broader battery technology supply chain.
The project comes as Serbia looks to move beyond traditional automotive and electrical manufacturing and expand into industries connected with automation, artificial intelligence hardware and advanced energy technologies.
Battery manufacturing is becoming an increasingly important part of that industrial transformation strategy.
Over the past decade, Serbia has attracted a growing number of Chinese industrial investments, initially focused on mining, steel production, automotive components and infrastructure. More recently, however, investment has expanded into electric-vehicle components, robotics and other high-tech manufacturing sectors.
Reliance Energy’s decision to establish its first overseas factory in Serbia suggests that the country is increasingly being positioned as a production base capable of serving both European and wider regional markets.
The investment also comes at a time when battery demand is expanding across a growing number of industries.
While electric mobility remains the largest driver of global demand, the markets for drones, robotics and industrial automation are also expanding rapidly. These sectors require cells and battery packs with performance characteristics that differ from those used in passenger electric vehicles or large-scale grid storage.
For Serbia, the long-term economic value of the investment will largely depend on how much of the production chain is eventually localised.
Battery assembly alone generates less value than a manufacturing operation that includes cell production, battery-management systems, electronics, testing and engineering capabilities.
The development of a stronger local supplier network could also reinforce Serbia’s position in other areas of advanced manufacturing and technology production.
The project may additionally complement investments in autonomous systems and robotics that have already been announced for the Inđija area.
Serbia is seeking to develop an industrial cluster where battery production, electronics, automation and robotics companies can benefit from shared suppliers, infrastructure and access to skilled labour.
Energy availability will also remain an important consideration for the project’s long-term development.
Battery manufacturing can be highly electricity-intensive, particularly if production eventually expands beyond battery pack assembly to include the manufacturing of cells.
At the same time, Serbia is expanding renewable energy capacity, battery storage and transmission infrastructure while working to reduce its long-term dependence on lignite-fired electricity generation.
Industrial investors are increasingly taking into account both electricity prices and carbon intensity when selecting manufacturing locations in Europe.
These factors could become even more significant as EU carbon regulations and sustainability requirements increasingly influence industrial supply chains, including sectors that are not directly covered by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
The investment therefore carries implications that extend well beyond its €100.5 million price tag.
If completed as planned, Reliance Energy’s facility could become another important component of Serbia’s effort to position itself between Asian battery technology suppliers and European industrial demand.
The key question will be whether the project develops into a deeper manufacturing operation with significant technological capabilities or remains focused primarily on battery assembly.
For Serbia, that distinction could determine whether the investment becomes simply another standalone factory or helps lay the foundation for a broader battery and advanced-technology supply chain.
