BMW, Datang form renewable energy JV in China

BMW Group is expanding its decarbonization strategy in China through a renewable energy joint venture with China Datang Corporation, marking its first direct investment into utility-scale wind power in the country.

BMW's local venture, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, signed a strategic agreement on Thursday with Datang, one of China's leading State-owned energy firms, to develop 1,000 megawatts of onshore wind power. The move positions BBA as the first automaker in China to launch a renewable power joint venture.

The project is aimed at supplying clean electricity to BMW's manufacturing base in Shenyang, Liaoning province, while also potentially serving suppliers, dealers, and EV charging partners in the region — expanding the decarbonization impact across the company's local value chain.

The initiative aligns with the BMW Group's Scope 1-3 carbon reduction targets and will support the localized production of its next-generation NEUE KLASSE models beginning in 2026. It will complement the plant's existing solar photovoltaic capacity and an upcoming deep geothermal heating system.

"Climate change demands resolute and collective action," said Walter Mertl, BMW AG's finance chief. "This investment establishes a lighthouse project for China's auto and energy sectors."

BMW said the JV will also function as a green-energy trading platform, securing long-term, traceable renewable power contracts under China's evolving green electricity market mechanisms.

"This step is a joint stride toward a vision of a world powered by clean energy and moved by sustainable mobility," said Franz Decker, president and CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive.