Chinese battery materials company Putailai is turning to Southeast Asia after scrapping a planned project in Sweden. The company said on 11 March it will invest 297 million USD in a new plant in Malaysia to produce lithium-ion battery anode materials.
The new facility will have an annual capacity of 50,000 tonnes and is expected to take about 24 months to build. Putailai said the plant will serve customers across Southeast Asia and other overseas markets.
The move comes as Southeast Asia continues to attract investment in the electric-vehicle supply chain. Malaysia recorded new-energy vehicle sales growth of more than 50 percent in 2025, while Thailand and Indonesia also saw strong expansion.
Putailai had earlier announced plans for a 100,000-tonne integrated anode production and research base in Sweden in 2023. That project was cancelled in December 2024 after the company failed to reach an agreement with regulators.
Other Chinese battery companies have already expanded across Southeast Asia, including CATL, EVE Energy and BTR. Putailai said it plans to increase anode shipments in 2026 as its overseas production capacity grows.
