(June 23): Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd has launched a new sodium battery storage system, slated for initial delivery in China this September, as the battery giant aims to further ramp up sodium battery capacity amid growing energy storage needs from data centres.
Total shipments for the Tener system, designed for longer service life and better adaptability to extreme temperatures, will reach 1GWh by the end of this year, CATL said at an event in Munich on Monday. Global deliveries will begin in June 2027.
CATL unveiled technology in April that uses sodium as the key raw material in batteries, rather than the traditional lithium. It subsequently secured a three-year agreement to supply 60GWh of sodium-ion batteries to power equipment manufacturer Beijing HyperStrong Technology Co, its first strategic partnership using the technology.
CATL aims to further expand its sodium battery capacity to cater to energy storage demand from data centres, said Yuqun “Robin” Zeng, the company’s chairman and CEO.
“We want to scale up sodium battery” and it will take three to five years to get to more than 100GWh a year, he said at the World Economic Forum in the Chinese city of Dalian on Tuesday. The company’s overall battery shipments could surpass 1,000GWh this year, up from 660GWh in 2025, Zeng said.
The developments underscore CATL’s dual-track strategy of advancing both lithium and sodium battery technologies. The strategic shift has gained momentum due to a rebound in lithium carbonate spot prices this year, which has enhanced sodium batteries’ cost competitiveness.
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Sodium also offers supply-chain advantages due to its global abundance, helping to reduce reliance on lithium imports. The International Energy Agency has said that 2026 “could prove to be a pivotal year” for sodium batteries, as the technology begins to challenge lithium-ion dominance and potentially capture a share of the market.
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