China Energy Storage Tenders Jump 80% as Prices Rebound Above RMB 0.53/Wh

1 articles · Updated · Energy-Storage.news · Aug 18

65.7GW/273.3GWh of new China energy storage tenders were awarded in January-May 2026, up more than 80% year on year, while the market moved into a price recovery phase after a prolonged decline.
Rising lithium carbonate prices, tighter cell supply and stronger overseas orders reversed 2025's slide, lifting average 2026 storage-system winning prices to RMB 0.5329/Wh and EPC prices to RMB 0.9957/Wh.
142.3GW/477.3GWh of tenders were recorded in 2025, with procurement value above RMB 370 billion; group procurement expanded from 29.6% of demand in 2025 to 39.4% in the first five months of 2026.
Shanxi led China in tendered power and Ningxia in capacity this year, while North and Northwest China remained the main hubs for 4-hour-plus projects and East China led behind-the-meter storage.
Document No. 114 introduced China's first national capacity-pricing mechanism for standalone storage in 2026, supporting financing for long-duration projects as bidding shifts from lowest price toward safety, cycle life and LCOS.