CATL Racks Up 70 GWh in Sodium Battery Deals, Eyes Europe

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CATL has now racked up around 70 GWh in deals for sodium-ion battery energy storage systems, according to the Chinese business press, and Europe has become its showcase. The latest step came on October 10, 2026, when German integrator Intilion announced an agreement to develop up to 3 GWh of projects using this chemistry in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland over five years. A good part of that figure, however, corresponds to framework agreements and memorandums, not firm orders with delivery dates.

CATL’s sodium-ion battery orders in 30 seconds

The roughly 70 GWh figure rests on three major deals: HyperStrong (60 GWh), Alfen (5 GWh), and Intilion (up to 3 GWh).
The TENER Sodium system offers more than 30 MWh per unit and a 30-year warranty.
Deliveries started in China in September; international ones are planned from June 2027.
In 2025, the world produced 9 GWh of sodium-ion batteries, far short of those volumes.

Sodium-ion batteries have spent years being presented as an alternative to lithium for stationary storage. Sodium is far more abundant, doesn’t depend on the same supply chains, and, according to manufacturers, performs better in the cold. What they lacked was commercial scale. CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, is trying to give them that with large-volume deals and a dedicated storage product, at a time when demand for grid batteries and for AI data centers’ power needs keeps growing.

Where the 70 GWh Figure Comes From

The bulk comes from a single customer. On April 27, CATL and HyperStrong, China’s largest storage system integrator, signed what CATL described as a cooperation agreement for orders of 60 GWh of sodium-ion batteries over three years. Energy-Storage.News noted at the time that it wasn’t clear whether that volume was a firm purchase commitment or whether it included pricing or a delivery schedule.

In July came the first significant European deal: Dutch company Alfen signed a memorandum of understanding to deploy 5 GWh of TENER Sodium systems in Europe starting in 2027. And in October, Intilion, a subsidiary of Germany’s Hoppecke group based in Paderborn, announced the deal for up to 3 GWh for the DACH region. pv magazine Germany itself describes that figure as a development target rather than a confirmed supply. Intilion and CATL had already signed an agreement in May 2025 for up to 10 GWh of projects with TENER products, and it isn’t clear whether the new one is part of that earlier deal.

With this latest deal, Chinese outlets such as Sina Finance put CATL’s sodium-ion storage total at 70 GWh, up from 67. Neither CATL nor the sources consulted publish a complete official breakdown, and the outlet TMTPost sums it up with a caveat: the 70 GWh figure is a target, not a reality.

What the TENER Sodium System Offers

CATL presented its sodium-based storage system at Intersolar Europe in Munich in June. According to data gathered by ESS News and pv magazine, each modular unit exceeds 30 MWh, weighs about 42 tonnes, and supports durations of 1 to 8 hours. The manufacturer cites 15,000 cycles at temperatures of 25 to 30°C and more than 10,000 at 45°C, more than 92% capacity below -20°C, and an operating range of -20°C to 45°C. It offers a 30-year warranty. Intilion adds a round-trip efficiency above 96.5%, similar to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) systems.

The first deliveries to Chinese grid customers began in September 2026, with plans to ship around 1 GWh by year’s end. Deliveries outside China are planned from June 2027. For manufacturing, CATL has allocated 40 GWh a year at its Fuding plant and plans 160 GWh at its Jining base in Shandong province, according to ESS News. Sina Finance reports that the company aims to exceed 100 GWh of sodium-ion battery capacity within three to five years.

Caspar Spinnen, CATL’s communications lead for the DACH region, told pv magazine that sodium complements lithium and that both will be the two pillars of energy storage.

Cost Is the Big Unknown

The economic case remains up in the air. CATL says the cost of raw materials has halved in a year and expects sodium cells to match LFP costs by the end of 2026, with full systems catching up in 2027. Today the gap is still clear: according to TMTPost, sodium cells cost more than 0.5 yuan per watt-hour, compared with about 0.32 yuan for lithium storage cells. The drop in lithium prices since 2023 has also narrowed the advantage sodium once promised.

Scale isn’t guaranteed either. In 2025 the world produced around 9 GWh of sodium-ion batteries, with a bit over 60% going to storage, according to figures cited by TMTPost. CATL’s deals add up to nearly eight times that figure, spread across several years. The company is starting, though, from a position of strength in lithium, at a time when China is reinforcing its global dominance in batteries, and sodium lets it offer European integrators a chemistry that doesn’t depend on lithium.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many GWh of sodium-ion batteries has CATL committed to?

About 70 GWh according to Chinese media, mainly from a 60 GWh deal with HyperStrong, a 5 GWh memorandum with Alfen, and a deal for up to 3 GWh with Intilion. Not all of it is firm orders.

When will CATL’s sodium systems arrive in Europe?

CATL plans to start international deliveries in June 2027, and Alfen places its European deployments starting that year.

Are sodium-ion batteries cheaper than lithium ones?

Not yet. Sodium cells cost more than LFP ones, though CATL expects to reach parity by the end of 2026 for cells and in 2027 for full systems.

What advantages does sodium have for storage?

It uses more abundant raw materials and, according to CATL, keeps more than 92% capacity below -20°C. In exchange, it has lower energy density than lithium.

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