Big changes in the BESS Market - 20,000 cycle sodium-ion battery and Fluence + EVE supply deal
Between the Terminals
TLDR · What matters most
- Hithium shows off sodium-ion technology, whose cycle count rivals LTO lithium-ion batteries. With sodium-ion technology on the rise, we will have to see how similar development impacts the design lives of energy storage technologies.
- The firms have committed to 16GWh of capacity in 2027, with 190GWh reserved for 2028-2031, Eve Energy announced in a filing on the Shenzen stock exchange last week (18 September).
- The company’s largest deal to date came in July with a US$536 million senior secured facility comprising a Construction Term Loan, Tax Equity Bridge Loan and Letter of Credit Facilities.
- Only 13 states lack any utility tariffs setting requirements for data centers and other large loads, and at least three of those states were considering proposed requirements as of July, according to a large load tariff database maintained by the Smart Electric Power Alliance.
- Indian solar manufacturer Premier Energies has commissioned a 7GW n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) G12R solar cell manufacturing facility in Naidupeta, Andhra Pradesh, taking its total solar cell manufacturing capacity to 10.6GW.
BESS Technology
Hithium unveils 20,000-cycle sodium-ion cell and 4MWh BESS
Meanwhile, a dense solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer of high reduction potential sodium salt additives on the anode surface suppresses electrolyte decomposition and consumption, while significantly reducing gas generation and improving lifecycle reliability.
- CATL, which signed a 60GWh sodium-ion battery supply deal with Chinese system integrator HyperStrong in April, held the global launch of the sodium-ion version of its TENER BESS unit at Intersolar Europe in Germany in June.
- In a pre-recorded video streamed live on LinkedIn, the Chinese battery manufacturer’s research institute director, Dr Aileen Wang, introduced the ∞Cell N785Ah and the battery energy storage system (BESS) ∞Power N4.0MWh.
- The ∞Power N4.0MWh BESS that the cell powers features an original sodium-ion architecture.
Manufacturing
CATL Partners with BME to Advance Battery Pack Manufacturing in Egypt Through Technology Licensing
Looking ahead, CATL will continue to work with global partners to apply its battery technologies, manufacturing experience and partnership model in more markets, supporting the development of localized battery value chain and the wider adoption of electrification solutions.
- The planned battery pack facility, developed and fully funded by BME, will have an initial annual production capacity of 1 GWh and will focus on battery packs for heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
- Under its long-term plan, BME expects to expand annual capacity to 5 GWh and broaden its product portfolio to include passenger vehicle battery packs and energy storage systems for solar and wind power applications.
- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) has signed a cooperation agreement with BME (Battery Manufacturing in Egypt), an Egyptian battery manufacturer, to support battery pack assembly and production in Egypt.
Policy & Markets
Fluence and Eve Energy agree 206GWh battery supply deal
The announcement came a few days after Fluence revised down its fiscal year 2026 (FY2026) guidance, reducing forecast revenues by US$600 million and widening its expected EBITDA loss from US$10 million to closer to US$200 million.
- System integrator Fluence and lithium-ion battery OEM Eve Energy have struck a massive 206GWh battery supply framework agreement for 2027-31, one of the largest deals of its kind ever announced.
- The firms have committed to 16GWh of capacity in 2027, with 190GWh reserved for 2028-2031, Eve Energy announced in a filing on the Shenzen stock exchange last week (18 September).
- While it has increasingly focused on the US, Fluence still has lots of business elsewhere, including two projects totalling 1.1GW/4.4GWh on which it started construction for power firm LEAG in Germany recently.
House passes ratepayer protection bill to limit data center cost shifts
State regulators are increasingly looking to codify ratepayer protections through new rules such as requiring prospective large-load customers to pay upfront for system impact studies, ramp up to full load within a set number of months and pay an exit fee if they stop development or significantly reduce service.
- “Congress should apply the standard uniformly to any customer at 100 MW or more, establishing a separate rate class for these large electricity users,” Michelle Lopes Maldonado, the group’s associate director of AI policy, said in a statement.
- Only 13 states lack any utility tariffs setting requirements for data centers and other large loads, and at least three of those states were considering proposed requirements as of July, according to a large load tariff database maintained by the Smart Electric Power Alliance.
- “In addition to the significant incremental development costs, requiring data centers to [Bring Your Own New Capacity] could extend the construction process of data centers by years, as it typically takes far longer to construct a power plant than develop a data center,” the research firm said.
Spain to launch capacity market, announces US$19.5 billion grid infrastructure investment
The commission will invest €9 billion (US$10.3 billion) into the new capacity market programme, and concluded that such an investment would not fall foul of its ‘state aid’ rules under the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF), which prevent companies from receiving direct government support “unless it is justified by reasons of general economic development.”
- Also this week, Aagesen announced that Spain will invest €17 billion (US$ 19.5 billion) into grid reforms by the end of the decade.
- Announced this week by Sara Aagesen, deputy prime minister and minister for ecological transition and the demographic challenge, the system will see generation and storage facility renumerated for “contributing firmness and flexibility to the electricity system,” according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
- The government had initially planned to invest €13.6 billion to this end, but this investment was scaled up in order to meet the targets set by the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which includes, among other goals, expanding Spain’s operational solar PV capacity to 76GW.
Weekly average load in ERCOT continues near record high - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
EIA's free and open data available as API, Excel add-in, bulk files, and widgets Come test out some of the products still in development and let us know what you think!
- The hourly average for the week ending August 22 was 10% greater than the highest hourly average for any week in summer of 2025 and 6% greater than the previous record of 70.0 GW set in 2023.
- Average hourly load for the week ending August 29 came in just below that at 73.7 GW.
- Sustained high temperatures have contributed to persistently high electricity demand in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the regional transmission organization for most of the state: Hourly load in ERCOT averaged a record 74.5 gigawatts (GW) for the week ending August 22, 2026.
India adds 8.2 GWh of new BESS capacity in H1 2026
India added a massive 8.2 GWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity during the first half of 2026, marking a completely new scale of build-out when compared to the 98.4 MWh installed in the same period last year.
- New analysis reveals India added 8.2 GWh of battery energy storage in H1 2026, overwhelming last year's figures and signaling a major shift in the subcontinent's storage sector.
- Storage tenders totaled 28 GW during the first half of 2026, while only approximately 9 GW was actually auctioned, down 18% year-on-year.
- The outlook is strong, with a large pipeline, but growth will depend on how quickly tendered capacity moves to auctions and awards, and whether projects have bankable contracts, reliable grid infrastructure, stable supply chains, and workable project economics.”
Energy Secretary Secures Carolinas’ Grid Amidst Hot Weather Conditions
“Today’s order will help secure reliable electricity access for millions of American families and businesses across North and South Carolina by making additional power generation, including backup power, available to use as needed,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
- DOE estimates more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide.
- While past leaders’ energy subtraction policies have made the grid more vulnerable to blackouts when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, this administration remains committed to using every available tool to prevent blackouts.”
- This order was issued pursuant to an application from Duke submitted on September 18, 2026.
Broader Lithium-ion
From 10-97% SOC in 9 minutes: Sunwoda joins the flash charging race
Sunwoda also showed off the high-power charging infrastructure side of its flash charging equation, unveiling an open ecosystem that combines solar power, battery energy storage, and ultra-fast charging that helps take the company from, “a battery that charges real fast,” into a broader place of energy management and opening them up to partnering with energy companies and microgrids directly.
- Sunwoda supplies batteries to brands like Geely, Dongfeng, and GAC, and says its batteries can meet warranty requirements of 10 years or 300,000 km with no limit on ultrafast charging session.
- As armed conflicts continue to send global fuel prices skyward, EVs are getting to the point where they’re capable “filling up” on electric fuel in about the same (or less) than it takes to top up on gas or diesel – if you can even find any!
- Managing that level of energy this effectively is an impressive achievement – and, crucially, Sunwoda’s impressive engineering seems to go both ways, managing to take just 15 minutes to add 700 km (~435 miles) worth of range and take the battery from 10 to 97% SOC at a positively chilly -20° C.
Raw Materials & Supply Chains
US energy storage industry targets 225GW/1TWh deployment by end of 2032, according to Energy Storage Coalition
Released this month (September), the report, titled The Terawatt-Hour Opportunity, said that battery energy storage systems (BESS) offer the speed to power, reliability and flexibility to address America’s energy demand challenge whilst fortifying energy security, provided policy and regulatory frameworks enable the industry to scale at the pace the US power system demands.
- The US energy storage industry is targeting 225GW/1TWh of storage deployments by the end of 2032, according to an analysis published by the Energy Storage Coalition (ESC).
- The analysis projects that energy storage will generate more than US$250 billion in cost savings over the next decade by scaling deployment to 850+ GWh.
- The state achieved US$1.5 billion in savings over summer and winter extreme weather events in 2024, whilst grid emergencies reduced from 13 in 2023 to zero in 2025.
Follow the Money: Africa’s First EV Battery Factory, Battery Recycling, Renewable Energy
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $110 million loan to support the construction of Africa’s first gigafactory in Morocco, backing the continent’s push to build a domestic electric vehicle battery industry.
- BatX Energies has secured $11 million in a Series A funding.
- Sila has secured $300 million in a private equity round.
- Grenergy has closed a senior non-recourse financing of €100 million for Oviedo, its stand-alone battery energy storage project with a capacity of 618 MWh.
Projects & Operations
Jupiter Power closes US$1.4 billion financing for 10 US BESS projects totalling 3.8GWh
Energy-Storage.news also reported in January that Jupiter had closed a US$500 million senior secured green revolving loan and letter of credit facility to support the advancement of its US project pipeline.
- Jupiter Power also secured a US$258 million senior secured facility in April, comprising a Construction Term Loan, Tax Equity Bridge Loan and Letter of Credit Facilities, to fund the development and construction of Callisto II and Pamela Heights I in Harris County, Texas.
- The company’s largest deal to date came in July with a US$536 million senior secured facility comprising a Construction Term Loan, Tax Equity Bridge Loan and Letter of Credit Facilities.
- Trimount was among 1,268MW of BESS resources selected through the state Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Section 83E Storage request for proposals (RFP) held in 2025, along with projects from FlatIron Energy, River Mill Storage and Rhynland Energy.
554MW of battery storage enters AEMO’s Market Management System in Australia
Wärtsilä completed delivery and installation of all 1,038 Quantum units at the site in July 2026, with the system designed to operate in grid-forming mode to provide synthetic inertia as coal-fired generation retires from the Victorian grid.
- EnergyAustralia, an Australian energy generator-retailer, reached financial close on the project in February 2025 and began construction days later, with the battery storage system designed to enter service before the retirement of its 1,450MW Yallourn coal-fired power station, scheduled for mid-2028.
- Vena added a 41.5MW battery to its existing 87MW solar plant at Tailem Bend in January 2025, completing what the company calls its Tailem Bend 2 Hybrid Project and lifting the combined grid output of its two co-located solar plants from 182MW to 223.5MW.
- In July 2025, EnergyAustralia sold a 50% share in the project to Thailand-based Banpu Public Company, trading in Australia as Banpu Energy Australia, in a deal worth in the region of AU$700 million (US$490 million).
Meta, Apex Clean Energy agree to 144-MW Texas solar PPA
“The 144 MW project will add to the local grid that would not have been built without Meta’s commitment and reflects Apex’s focus on delivering interconnected, ready-to-build capacity on the accelerated timelines large-load customers require,” the release said.
- Apex Clean Energy and Meta announced Wednesday that they have expanded their joint portfolio to 1.2 GW with the addition of a power purchase agreement for Apex’s 144-MW Starling Solar project in Texas.
- Meta has invested considerably in data centers and generation resources in Texas, including over $10 billion in a 1-GW data center in El Paso, and signing a PPA with ENGIE to purchase 100% of the output from a 600-MW solar project in Stonewall County “to support its data center operations.”
- Starling Solar will be developed in Gonzales County, Texas, and is expected to begin commercial operations in 2027, according to the release, which said Apex and Meta have a combined portfolio of seven projects across Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Kansas and Iowa.
RWE takes final investment decision to build 1.1 GWh battery in the Netherlands
The system size at a 2.75-hour duration suggests a split of around 1.92 MW / 5.29 MWh per container, and it will also provide “advanced grid services,” indicating the use of grid-forming inverters.
- The Moerdijk plant, located south of Rotterdam, was primarily a 426 MW gas-fired combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant, and the site had a small battery system acting as one of the first synthetic inertia batteries on the European grid, via a 7.5 MW / 11 MWh installation.
- German energy major RWE has made its final investment decision to build a 400 MW / 1.1 GWh battery storage system at the Moerdijk power station site in the Netherlands using its existing 150 kV substation at Moerdijk-Noord.
- In the press release, RWE stated: “Through capacity steering agreements with Transmission System Operator TenneT, the battery will be dispatched to relieve congestion in the Noord-Brabant region.
PV Solar
Premier Energies commissions 7GW TOPCon cell plant, takes capacity to 10.6GW
Chiranjeev Saluja, managing director, Premier Energies, said, “The timing of this 7GW capacity addition is therefore significant: as the line stabilises and ramps up, it gives us the scale to serve that demand with greater supply reliability and operating efficiency.
- The company also commissioned a 1.2GW TOPCon solar cell manufacturing line at Fab City, Hyderabad, Telangana in June 2025.
- Indian solar manufacturer Premier Energies has commissioned a 7GW n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) G12R solar cell manufacturing facility in Naidupeta, Andhra Pradesh, taking its total solar cell manufacturing capacity to 10.6GW.
- In October 2025, Premier acquired a 51% stake in transformer manufacturer Transcon and inverter maker KSolare Energy, investing INR5 billion (US$57 million) in Transcon and INR1.7 billion (US$19 million) in KSolare alongside Syrma SGS Technology.