CATL Unveils Sodium-Ion Storage System, Claims Commercial Readiness

CATL introduced the TENER Sodium Energy Storage System in Munich, Germany. Fox News reported that the company described the product as the world's first field-validated sodium-ion energy storage system ready for commercial use and designed for stationary grid applications. CATL stated that cumulative shipments should reach 1 gigawatt-hour by the end of 2026.

Deliveries in China are scheduled to begin in September 2026, with global deliveries set to start in June 2027. The system supports storage durations of 1, 2, 4, 6, or 8 hours. Each TENER Sodium module delivers more than 30 megawatt-hours of rated capacity and weighs about 42 metric tons.

CATL said only 34 units are required for a 1-gigawatt-hour storage site. The company added that the system shares the same physical footprint as lithium iron phosphate platforms. CATL reported that sodium is more than 1,000 times more common than lithium.

It also stated that the battery management system provides a 20 percent additional safety margin over lithium-ion batteries, reduces heat generation by nearly 30 percent through top-discharge airflow, lowers auxiliary power consumption to 1 percent, and operates at 65 decibels.

CATL said it has conducted sodium-ion battery research since 2016 and invested about $1.4 billion in the technology over the past decade. In April 2026 the company signed a three-year, 60-gigawatt-hour sodium-ion energy storage order with HyperStrong.