JSW in final talks for Japan-Korea battery JV in India

11 Nov 2025 CW Team

The proposed JV will cater to multiple sectors — including electric vehicles (EVs), commercial mobility fleets, and grid-scale energy storage systems (ESS). The initiative aligns with JSW’s EV ambitions and India’s broader mission to achieve self-reliance in clean-energy manufacturing. Company officials see the project as a strategic foundation for JSW’s entry into the EV ecosystem and a safeguard against supply-chain risks tied to China.

While the specific partners remain undisclosed, the inclusion of Japanese and Korean technology players indicates JSW’s focus on advanced innovation and raw-material security outside China. Discussions are reportedly at an advanced stage, with an agreement expected to be finalised by March 2026. Once operational, the JV is expected to reduce costs and strengthen localisation, crucial in a competitive global battery market.

China continues to dominate battery-cell production and critical materials such as lithium, graphite, and separators. India has expressed a clear intent to diversify its supply chains, and JSW’s venture is among several domestic efforts to create a localised alternative.

Traditionally known for its steel, energy, and infrastructure businesses, JSW is expanding into the mobility and renewable-energy sectors. By controlling battery-cell production, the company aims to secure supplies for its EV and energy-storage units and protect itself from geopolitical or logistical disruptions.

Analysts believe the partnership’s success will depend on effective technology transfer, cost competitiveness, and rapid scaling to meet domestic demand. With India’s EV and energy-storage markets poised for strong growth, JSW’s initiative could become a model for reducing China dependence while leveraging expertise from Japan and South Korea.

India’s industrial conglomerate JSW Group is in advanced talks with Japanese and South Korean firms to set up a joint venture (JV) for battery-cell manufacturing in India, aiming to cut its dependence on Chinese imports of cells and components. The proposed JV will cater to multiple sectors — including electric vehicles (EVs), commercial mobility fleets, and grid-scale energy storage systems (ESS). The initiative aligns with JSW’s EV ambitions and India’s broader mission to achieve self-reliance in clean-energy manufacturing. Company officials see the project as a strategic foundation for JSW’s entry into the EV ecosystem and a safeguard against supply-chain risks tied to China. While the specific partners remain undisclosed, the inclusion of Japanese and Korean technology players indicates JSW’s focus on advanced innovation and raw-material security outside China. Discussions are reportedly at an advanced stage, with an agreement expected to be finalised by March 2026. Once operational, the JV is expected to reduce costs and strengthen localisation, crucial in a competitive global battery market. China continues to dominate battery-cell production and critical materials such as lithium, graphite, and separators. India has expressed a clear intent to diversify its supply chains, and JSW’s venture is among several domestic efforts to create a localised alternative. Traditionally known for its steel, energy, and infrastructure businesses, JSW is expanding into the mobility and renewable-energy sectors. By controlling battery-cell production, the company aims to secure supplies for its EV and energy-storage units and protect itself from geopolitical or logistical disruptions. Analysts believe the partnership’s success will depend on effective technology transfer, cost competitiveness, and rapid scaling to meet domestic demand. With India’s EV and energy-storage markets poised for strong growth, JSW’s initiative could become a model for reducing China dependence while leveraging expertise from Japan and South Korea.

Real Estate

05 Dec 2025

RBI Rate Cut Boosts Confidence Across Housing Market

Industry Context and Market DynamicsThe real estate industry has welcomed the RBI’s rate cut as a timely boost to affordability and demand. With home prices having risen steadily across major markets, even a marginal reduction in interest rates meaningfully strengthens purchasing power, especially for first-time and mid-income buyers.Ashish Jerath, President – Sales & Marketing, Smartworld Developers, observes:“The RBI’s 25-basis-point cut, bringing the repo rate down to 5.25%, is a timely boost for the real estate sector. Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs, enabling homeb..

Infrastructure Transport

05 Dec 2025

BMC Resumes Rs 170 Billion Road Works, Targets 80 per cent By Jan 2026

Following the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon in October, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has restarted work on 645 roads—covering 297.49 kilometres—under its large-scale concretisation programme. Data shows that more than 60 per cent of the resumed works are located in the western suburbs. Officials said the civic body aims to complete concretisation on 80 per cent of the roads where fresh work has begun by January 2026. Launched in 2022, the Rs 170 billion project seeks to concretise 700 kilometres of roads across Mumbai. All civil works were halted during the monsoon ..

Infrastructure Urban

05 Dec 2025

India Pushes Digital Shift In Urban Land Mapping

The Department of Land Resources (DoLR) under the Ministry of Rural Development has convened a National Symposium on NAKSHA – the National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations – to advance India’s transition to modern, technology-driven land mapping. Speaking at the inaugural session, Secretary Manoj Joshi underscored the urgent need to move revenue departments away from outdated, tape-based methods and rough hand-drawn sketches. He stressed that adopting latitude–longitude-based digital mapping and GIS-linked registration systems is essential for economic stabi..