CATL's TENER Sodium storage system targets 1 ¢/kWh, promising cheap grid power

Chinese battery maker CATL introduced the TENER Sodium, a sodium‑ion based stationary grid‑scale storage system. The company claims the unit can store over 30 MWh of electricity, deliver between one and eight hours of discharge, and operate at an investment cost of about one cent per kilowatt‑hour. Each unit boasts more than 10,000 charge cycles, a low auxiliary‑energy consumption of roughly one percent, and reduced noise levels compared with conventional containers.

A 60 GWh supply contract with system integrator HyperStrong underpins the launch, with the first deliveries scheduled for China from September 2026. A broader international rollout is planned for 2027, with CATL targeting a cumulative output of one gigawatt‑hour by the end of the year. The technology replaces lithium and cobalt with abundant sodium derived from common salt, reducing reliance on critical minerals and potentially reshaping cost structures for renewable‑energy storage across Europe and beyond.