On September 9th, the bid winner announcement was published for the energy storage system equipment procurement of the 100MW/400MWh new technology route lithium iron phosphate battery plus sodium-ion battery independent energy storage pilot project in Renqiu, Hebei Province. In the first tender package for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) storage systems, Envision Energy and Kunyu Power Supply were shortlisted with bid prices around 0.518–0.525 yuan/Wh. For the second tender package covering sodium-ion storage systems, CATL (300750), Tianjin Blue Sky Solar Technology, and Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., Ltd. (300124) were shortlisted with bid prices ranging from 0.96 to 1.105 yuan/Wh. It’s worth noting that comparing the maximum unit prices of the two packages, the sodium-ion price is approximately double that of lithium iron phosphate.
According to the bid documents, this project is an independent energy storage pilot initiative adopting new technology routes. Located in Liujiabo Village, Majiawu Town, Renqiu City, Cangzhou, Hebei, it involves building 100MW/400MWh of lithium iron phosphate plus sodium-ion independent storage capacity. The storage batteries will comprise 90% lithium iron phosphate batteries by capacity and 10% sodium-ion batteries, including 30MW/120MWh of high-capacity LFP, 60MW/240MWh of long-life LFP, and 10MW/40MWh of sodium-ion. The project also includes a 220kV step-up substation with one 220kV main transformer (rated at 220/35kV), connecting via a single 220kV line to the Jilu 220kV substation.
The project is divided into two tender packages. For Package 1, covering the 90MW/360MWh LFP battery energy storage system, the first bid winner candidate is Envision Energy Co., Ltd., with a bid evaluation price of 186.48 million yuan, translating to approximately 0.518 yuan/Wh. The second candidate is Kunyu Power Supply Co., Ltd., with a bid evaluation price of 189 million yuan, or about 0.525 yuan/Wh. For Package 2, covering the 10MW/40MWh sodium-ion energy storage system, the first candidate is Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, with a bid evaluation price of 41.4162 million yuan, translating to about 1.035 yuan/Wh. The second candidate is Tianjin Blue Sky Solar Technology Co., Ltd. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of CETC Blue Sky), with a bid evaluation price of 38.4 million yuan, or around 0.96 yuan/Wh. The third candidate is Suzhou Inovance Technology Co., Ltd., with a bid evaluation price of 42.4 million yuan, or about 1.06 yuan/Wh. Other bidders for this package included Shanghai Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Equipment Co., Ltd., which was disqualified for failing to meet the technical blind review requirements outlined in the tender documents.
Looking closely at the three shortlisted companies in Package 2, each shows different progress in sodium-ion technology. CATL has already launched its Tianheng sodium-ion energy storage system and plans to deliver the first batch of products in September. Its participation in the Renqiu project indicates further progress in deploying its sodium-ion products in engineering-level storage applications. Tianjin Blue Sky Solar Technology, backed by CETC Blue Sky, has applied sodium-ion battery storage systems in microgrid scenarios, and its bid of 0.96 yuan/Wh is the lowest among the three. Beyond lithium batteries, Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., Ltd. is also focusing on new technologies with unique advantages in certain special industrial scenarios, such as sodium-ion, flow batteries, and flywheels, and it completed a 50MW sodium-ion project in the first half of this year.
Overall, although the sodium-ion package in the Renqiu project is only 10MW/40MWh, the fact that sodium-ion is being tendered as an independent package alongside lithium batteries and has entered a local new technology pilot storage project—at roughly double the unit price—shows that engineering validation for sodium-ion in storage applications is accelerating. Future cost reductions and scale-up will still depend on delivery volumes from leading companies.
Note: This article is solely a compilation of public information and an objective analysis of the energy storage industry. The listed companies mentioned are referenced only as case studies in the industry chain and do not constitute any investment advice. Market risks exist, and investment should be approached with caution.
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