Overview
On November 4, the Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued the Three-Year Action Plan for New-Type Energy Storage Projects (2026–2028), proposing over 13 GW / 26 GWh of new storage capacity during 2026–2028 — 5 GW/10 GWh on the power-supply side, 6 GW/12 GWh on the grid side, and more than 2 GW/4 GWh in multi-scenario applications.
The plan encourages storage to integrate into the new power system via source-grid-load-storage integration, virtual power plants and smart microgrids, promotes wind/solar-plus-storage, and directs Aba, Garze and Panxi corridors to add roughly 2, 4 and 4 GWh of storage respectively, while deploying grid-side independent storage across the Chengdu, southern-Sichuan and northeastern-Sichuan ring networks.
Background & Interpretation
1. Industry and Policy Context
Sichuan is hydro-rich but faces spatial-temporal mismatch in transmission and consumption; large-scale renewables exacerbate volatility. Under the national new power-system framework, storage is the key to unlocking renewable absorption and grid resilience. Sichuan’s plan is a provincial-level implementation of the national strategy with explicit volume and layout.
2. Core Drivers and Underlying Mechanism
The plan combines “scenario-based configuration + grid-side independent storage + grid-forming retrofit”: supply-side storage smooths renewable output, grid-side independent storage strengthens peak capacity at load centers, and existing storage receives grid-forming upgrades to reinforce system inertia and voltage support. After configuration, wind and solar credible output reach 11% and 6%, materially improving dispatchability.
3. Market Structure and Industrial Chain Impact
Over 13 GW of new capacity directly lifts demand for cells, PCS, BMS/EMS and system integration, benefiting leaders with southwestern delivery capability. With grid-side independent storage near half the total and paired with spot and ancillary-service markets, the business model shifts from “mandatory storage on subsidies” to “market arbitrage + capacity compensation.”
Implications & Outlook
Near term, the plan accelerates Sichuan storage tenders and construction. Medium term, grid-forming retrofits and source-grid-load-storage integration become new growth vectors. Key variables: project approval pace, capacity-compensation and spot-market revenue math, and solving the “built-but-idle” utilization problem.
Takeaways for Industry Participants
System integrators should secure southwestern presence and strengthen grid-forming and O&M capability. Renewable developers must treat storage as a managed asset, not a cost. Grid companies and local governments should refine market rules so storage survives on value, not subsidies.
This column compiles industry information and shares technical perspectives; it does not constitute investment advice.