The initial phase of the world’s largest sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) has commenced operations in Hubei Province, central China.
The first phase of the project, with a capacity of 50MW/100MWh in Hubei, has been completed and is now operational, according to Yicai Global and technology provider HiNa Battery.
The system’s capacity will double to 100MW/200MWh, but it is almost certain that this is already the largest sodium-ion battery project in the world. The system comprises 42 BESS containers containing 185Ah sodium-ion batteries, 21 power conversion system (PCS) units, and a 110kV booster station.
According to Energy-Storage.news, the project is being developed and operated by Datang Hubei Energy Development, a subsidiary of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). This deployment is part of a national effort to establish large-scale storage projects using non-lithium technology.
Sodium-ion battery project in Hubei, China. (Photo: Hina)
Sodium-Ion Batteries: High Potential but Difficult to Commercialize
This technology is often regarded as the most commercially viable battery at large scale, offering a solution to supply chain bottlenecks surrounding lithium-ion batteries, which dominate both electric vehicle (EV) and BESS applications. The similar design allows sodium-ion batteries to easily integrate into lithium-ion battery production lines.
Sodium-ion batteries generally have lower energy density, and due to their smaller scale, they tend to be more expensive than lithium-ion batteries. However, by 2025, these batteries may be 15-30% cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, according to Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD. Nevertheless, the commercialization and cost reduction have progressed slower than expected, as reported by Yicai Global.
Technically, sodium-ion batteries also offer several advantages, according to HiNa Battery. One of these is better round-trip efficiency (RTE) and cycle life at extremely high temperatures. Sodium-ion batteries also perform significantly better than conventional batteries in impact resistance tests.
According to Energy-Storage.news, one reason China is heavily investing in sodium-ion technology is the concern that, in the long term, the country may be excluded from the lithium supply chain.
Currently, China dominates the supply chain, both in battery manufacturing and lithium refining. However, HiNa’s announcement states that China only possesses about 6% of the world’s lithium reserves that are exploitable, while having abundant mineral reserves suitable for sodium-ion batteries.
Li Shujun, General Director of HiNa Battery, stated that a super-strong sodium-ion battery industry at the “terawatt-hour” level is expected to gradually form by 2030, according to Yicai Global.
Large Project in Guangxi
A sodium-ion energy storage station with a capacity of 10 MWh has been put into operation in Guangxi, southwest China. This station commenced operations on May 11, 2024, in the city of Nanning. It was constructed by the Guangxi branch of the China Southern Power Grid and is the initial phase of a larger 100 MWh project.
10 MWh sodium-ion energy storage station in Guangxi, China. (Photo: China Southern Power Grid Energy Storage).
When the entire project is completed, it will provide 73 million kWh of clean electricity annually, meeting the electricity demand of 35,000 households and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 50,000 tons, the China Southern Power Grid Energy Storage Company announced.
As of the end of Q1 2024, the total installed capacity of new energy storage projects in China reached 35.3 million kWh, with chemical energy storage, including lithium-ion batteries, accounting for over 95%.
