Calvin Xu

Global battery energy stationary storage (BESS) offtake agreements from Chinese OEMs in H1 2026 were over four times their H1 2025 level in GWh terms, Benchmark analysis shows, reaching 659GWh so far in 2026. Large offtake agreements of ≥10GWh capacity represented the largest proportion, with 474GWh capacity signed in H1 2026 through 25 agreements, up from 102GWh in H1 2025 from five agreements.

In 2025, over 600GWh of cells were shipped globally for battery energy stationary storage (BESS) applications, almost double that of 2024 as assessed by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a leading specialist in battery supply chain research. Combined, the top 10 BESS cell suppliers in 2025 accounted for 90% of cells shipped and all are headquartered in China.

On 27th April, Beijing HyperStrong Technology signed a strategic cooperation agreement with CATL in Ningde, Fujian, covering 60GWh of sodium ion batteries over three years for battery energy stationary storage (BESS) applications. The deal represents the world’s largest sodium ion battery agreement dedicated to energy storage to date. HyperStrong is one of the top five system integrators globally, having shipped 26GWh of systems in 2025 and with a cumulative total of BESS installations exceeding 50GWh.

The ongoing military conflict in the Middle East presents risks to the implementation and maintenance of energy storage projects across the region, including the largest projects, many of which involve Chinese contractors and suppliers.

On 24th February, Google formally signed an agreement with Xcel Energy to deploy a 30GWh / 300MW, 100-hour iron-air battery energy storage system (BESS) supplied by Form Energy in Pine Island, Minnesota.

China has introduced a national capacity‑based pricing mechanism for grid‑side independent energy storage, marking a structural shift in how storage assets are compensated within the power system.