Overview
New-type storage saw its strategic status jump in 2026: it was listed among the six national emerging pillar industries and named for vigorous development in the 15th Five-Year Plan. On September 28, seven ministries including MIIT issued the “15th Five-Year Plan for New-Type Battery Industries”, setting long-life, high-safety storage batteries as a key R&D direction and deploying innovative scenarios such as intelligent computing centers and green industrial micro-grids.
During the holiday, multiple major storage projects connected to the grid: the Qinghai Gonghe million-kW PV-thermal project (China’s first three-tower solar thermal base) began generating; Xinjiang Mulei’s 100MW-class compressed CO2 storage achieved first grid connection; and the domestic 300MW-class variable-speed pumped-storage rotor was hoisted in Zhaoqing.
Background & Interpretation
1. Industry Background and Policy Context
By end-2025, China’s cumulative new-type storage reached 136 GW / 351 GWh, up 84.3% yoy and roughly half the global total; its scale already exceeds pumped hydro, making it the largest flexible resource in the power system. Policy provides stable expectations across standards, scenarios and supply chain coordination.
2. Core Drivers and Mechanisms
The driver is the刚性 need for renewable absorption and flexibility. Storage’s role has upgraded from single peak-shaving to dual flexible regulation and active support (frequency response, voltage support). Technically, long-duration lithium, compressed CO2, variable-speed pumped storage and solar thermal advance in parallel to solve “store it and use it”.
3. Market Structure and Industrial Chain Effects
Hebei plans 10 GW of standalone storage for 2026 (4 GW southern grid, 6 GW northern), and Anhui introduced capacity-price lists, steering renewable pairing toward long-term leasing and existing capacity priority. The chain - batteries, PCS, grid-forming systems, EPC integrators - benefits; overseas (e.g., Hungary PV-storage) is a export window for Chinese solutions.
Implications & Outlook
Near term, the 15th FYP and capacity-price policies will expand both capacity and scenarios; medium term, storage shifts from scale races to high-quality application, with long-duration and high-safety as core metrics.
Takeaways for Industry Participants
- Investors: watch grid-side standalone storage and zero-carbon park projects that benefit from capacity pricing.
- Equipment makers: focus on long-cycle, high-safety batteries and grid-forming PCS.
- Owners: lock in existing capacity via long-term leases for stable returns.
This column compiles industry information and shares technical perspectives; it does not constitute investment advice.