China’s Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech plans to invest €100.5 million in a battery factory in Serbia, its first overseas production site, adding to Belgrade’s push to attract higher-value manufacturing linked to batteries, robotics and unmanned systems.
The plant will be built in the high-tech zone of Inđija, northwest of Belgrade, under a framework agreement signed with Serbian authorities.
The factory will make advanced batteries for drones, humanoid robots, unmanned vehicles, power tools and household appliances, placing the investment outside the utility-scale battery energy storage market but within a broader battery technology supply chain.
The project comes as Serbia seeks to move beyond conventional automotive and electrical manufacturing into sectors linked to automation, artificial intelligence hardware and advanced energy systems.
Battery manufacturing is increasingly becoming part of that strategy.
The country has attracted a growing number of Chinese industrial investors over the past decade, initially concentrated in mining, steel, automotive components and infrastructure. More recent projects have expanded into electric-vehicle components, robotics and high-tech manufacturing.
Reliance Energy’s choice of Serbia for its first overseas factory suggests the country is increasingly being used as a production base serving both European and wider regional markets.
The investment also comes as battery demand expands across several sectors.
Electric mobility remains the largest global driver, but demand from drones, robotics and industrial automation is growing rapidly, creating a market for cells and battery packs with different performance characteristics from those used in passenger cars or grid storage.
For Serbia, the main economic benefit will depend on how much of the production chain is eventually localised.
Battery assembly alone provides less value than manufacturing that includes cells, battery-management systems, electronics, testing and engineering.
A deeper local supplier base could also strengthen Serbia’s position in other advanced manufacturing segments.
The project may complement investments in autonomous systems and robotics already announced for the Inđija area.
Serbia is trying to build an industrial cluster in which batteries, electronics, automation and robotics can share suppliers and skilled labour.
Energy availability will be another factor.
Battery manufacturing can be electricity-intensive, particularly where production includes cell manufacturing rather than pack assembly.
Serbia is simultaneously expanding renewable generation, battery storage and transmission infrastructure while attempting to reduce its long-term dependence on lignite.
Industrial investors increasingly consider both electricity price and carbon intensity when choosing European production locations.
That may become particularly important as EU carbon and sustainability rules influence supply chains even outside formal CBAM-covered sectors.
The investment therefore has implications beyond its €100.5 million value.
If completed as planned, Reliance Energy’s plant would add another piece to 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 or remains primarily an assembly facility.
For Serbia, the difference will determine whether the investment becomes another standalone factory or the foundation of a broader battery and advanced-technology supply chain.
