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CATL has launched the TENER Sodium Energy Storage System, describing it as the world’s 1st commercially validated sodium-ion energy storage solution
The company expects cumulative shipments to reach 1 GWh by the end of 2026, with international deliveries scheduled from June 2027
CATL said the system offers improved supply chain resilience, lower operating costs, and compatibility with existing LFP platforms
After nearly a decade of sodium-ion battery development, and approximately €1.2 billion in sodium-ion research and development since 2016, the world’s leading battery manufacturer, CATL, has launched what it calls the 1st real-world validated sodium-ion energy storage solution.
Short for Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, a Chinese battery manufacturer for EVs and energy storage systems (ESS), CATL launched its TENER Sodium Energy Storage System at an event in Munich, Germany, to coincide with the launch of The smarter E/Intersolar Europe 2026.
The company said the system has reached commercial readiness across technology, manufacturing, and supply chain development.
During the launch, William Wu, Director of CATL’s Energy Storage Technology Center, highlighted the concentration of lithium resources in China, South America, and Australia, noting that lithium carbonate prices have fluctuated by up to 200% over the past year.
He said sodium-ion technology could help address supply security concerns while offering improved safety and performance in extreme temperatures, supported by the abundance of sodium resources.
CATL said the TENER Sodium system is built on its latest sodium-ion battery technology and delivers more than 30 MWh of storage capacity through a modular design. According to the company, the system can achieve over 15,000 charge cycles at 25°C and more than 10,000 cycles at 30°C, while maintaining over 92% of its capacity down to -20°C. The company said the architecture is intended to simplify project deployment, improve operational flexibility, and reduce maintenance costs.
Wu said the company developed sodium-ion batteries to diversify energy storage supply chains and reduce dependence on limited raw material resources.
“We believe that sodium and lithium together will form the twin foundations of the future energy storage system,” Wu said.
Amanda Xu, CTO of CATL’s Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) business and President of ESS Europe, said the energy storage market is increasingly focused on long-term value rather than scale alone.
CATL said the TENER Sodium platform shares the same physical footprint as LFP-based systems. Customers can switch between sodium-ion and lithium-ion technologies without major project redesigns or even repeating certification processes. Xu added that the system is designed to support future upgrades to 2,000 V high-voltage architectures.
CATL is also scaling up sodium-ion battery production, adding 40 GWh of annual capacity at its Fuding facility for RMB 5 billion investment, and an additional 160 GWh planned at its Jining base in China’s Shandong province. It targets cumulative shipments to reach 1 GWh by the end of 2026 and plans to begin international deliveries in June 2027.
In April 2026, CATL entered a 3-year, 60 GWh sodium-ion energy storage supply agreement with HyperStrong, calling it the largest commercial sodium-ion energy storage contract announced to date (see China Solar PV News Snippets).
