en.Wedoany.com Reported - Starting in July, two new energy storage regulations in China take effect simultaneously. One is the national standard at the technical compliance level, the "General Safety Specification for Grid-Connected Energy Storage Systems in Power Systems" (GB/T 46957-2025), which clarifies safety technical standards for the entire lifecycle of grid-connected energy storage and has been officially implemented. The other is a mandatory red line, Order No. 41 jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration—the "Standards for Determining Major Accident Hazards in Electric Power and Regulations on Governance Supervision and Management" (referred to as the "Regulations")—which also takes effect on the same day. This marks the first time China has systematically defined major accident hazards in the electric power sector through departmental regulations, signaling an upgrade in power safety supervision from "guidance and recommendations" to "mandatory constraints."

Among these, the grid-related performance of electrochemical energy storage stations has been included in the scope of "major accident hazards" for the first time. The regulations specify that for energy storage stations connected to grids above 220 kV, if key performance indicators such as low voltage ride-through, high voltage ride-through, and frequency adaptability are not met, or if grid connection tests are incomplete or control systems are not activated as required, it constitutes a major accident hazard, facing penalties including production suspension, fines, and even criminal liability. This means the flexibility of "as long as it can connect to the grid" no longer exists. Grid-related performance has been upgraded from a "recommended item" in technical agreements to a "mandatory requirement" at the legal level, and energy storage bidding is transitioning from "lowest price wins" to a hard-constraint era of "compliance wins."

The new regulations reshape the entry barriers on the demand side. From the supply side, industry data shows that in July 2026, China's lithium battery market total production schedule is approximately 283 GWh, a month-on-month increase of 5.6%; among this, energy storage battery cells account for 42.9% of production. During the same period, the global lithium battery production plan is 296 GWh, a month-on-month increase of 5.3%. This marks the fifth consecutive month of record highs.

June and July are traditionally off-peak seasons for lithium battery production and sales, but production schedule data continues to hit new highs. Industry insiders believe this reflects a systematic upgrade in demand structure, with global lithium battery demand shifting from being driven solely by new energy vehicles to multi-polar growth. The most significant change comes from energy storage, with its battery cell production share rising from about 30% in 2025 to nearly 43% in July this year. Energy storage has become one of the core engines of lithium battery growth. Multiple factors, including sustained strong global energy storage orders, accelerated demand for energy storage in AI data centers, and a significant year-on-year increase in domestic large-scale energy storage bidding, have collectively driven up the production volume of energy storage batteries.

The continued record highs in total production do not mean all lithium battery manufacturers benefit equally. Currently, 500+Ah ultra-large capacity energy storage battery cells are accelerating in volume. After the implementation of the new regulations, the past bidding logic of "lowest price wins" has been upgraded to "compliance wins." Industry analysis indicates that the cost of compliant battery systems is expected to increase by 15%-20%; at the same time, during the transition to 500+Ah large battery cells, second- and third-tier manufacturers face pressure from investments of hundreds of millions or even billions of yuan to upgrade old production lines, and failure to do so will lead to elimination. Industry data shows that the penetration rate of 500+Ah battery cells was less than 5% in the first quarter, but it is expected to exceed 15% by the end of the year, with the iteration speed of large battery cells exceeding expectations. On the bidding side, central and state-owned enterprises such as China Energy Storage Technology, Huaneng Group, and China Energy Engineering Corporation have successively listed ≥500Ah battery cells as separate bid packages or explicitly defined capacity ranges. 500+Ah has shifted from a "bonus item" to an "independent bid package," and system integrators' selection has moved from "pilot projects" to "standard configuration." The 500+Ah large battery cell is rapidly transitioning from a "future trend" to a "compliance necessity."

As the cost of lithium battery safety compliance continues to rise, the economic advantages of sodium-ion batteries in energy storage scenarios are being re-evaluated. Sodium-ion batteries offer differentiated value in terms of safety, low-temperature performance, and energy autonomy. However, for a long time, these advantages remained largely "theoretical," with higher costs than lithium batteries, an immature industrial chain, and a lack of large-scale orders being the fundamental reasons why sodium-ion batteries were "praised but not purchased." In 2026, this situation is changing. In June this year, CATL launched its new "Tianheng Sodium-Ion" energy storage system, claiming it can be adapted to energy storage projects with durations of 1 to 8 hours and seamlessly switch with lithium battery solutions. It plans to start delivery in September and aims for GWh-level shipments by the end of the year. Earlier in April, it signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hyperstrong for 60 GWh of sodium-ion battery energy storage over three years. Meanwhile, BYD's 30 GWh sodium-ion battery production line in Xining, Qinghai, is expected to complete capacity ramp-up in July. EVE Energy's 2 GWh sodium-ion battery production line in Huizhou has been built and put into operation, with its self-developed NF155L sodium-ion battery expected to be delivered in batches for energy storage scenarios by the end of 2026. Companies like Gotion High-tech and Zhongke Haina have also announced plans to achieve large-scale production of sodium-ion batteries around the end of 2026. A person in charge of Ronbay Technology's sodium-ion energy storage division stated at a public event that the entire sodium-ion battery industry is now experiencing its own "lithium iron phosphate moment," similar to that of lithium iron phosphate around 2020.

In scenarios with high requirements for safety and wide temperature range adaptability, such as energy storage in high-cold regions, energy storage for AI data centers, and grid frequency regulation, the advantages of sodium-ion batteries are gradually being validated. According to industry forecasts, leading sodium-ion battery manufacturers are expected to achieve battery cell costs on par with lithium iron phosphate by the end of 2026, and by 2027, sodium-ion batteries will enter an era of cost parity and volume growth. Currently, the cost of lithium iron phosphate battery cells is approximately 0.38 yuan/Wh, while that of leading sodium-ion battery manufacturers is about 0.47 yuan/Wh. The gap still exists, but the trend is clear. The industry generally believes that the energy storage track will be an important breakthrough and one of the largest application markets for the large-scale adoption of sodium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion energy storage is moving from demonstration projects to large-scale implementation, becoming an indispensable second growth curve for the energy storage industry.