CATL has signed an agreement with renewable energy company Solarpro to supply 2 GWh of its Tener Sodium energy storage systems, expanding the deployment of sodium-ion battery technology in Europe.
The Chinese battery manufacturer said the partnership will support what the companies describe as Central and Eastern Europe’s first large-scale sodium-ion energy storage project, with deployment scheduled to begin this year.
CATL Signs First European Deal for Sodium-Ion Energy Storage Systems
Second European Sodium-Ion Agreement
The Solarpro agreement marks CATL’s second sodium-ion energy storage partnership announced in Europe this month.
Last week, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Dutch energy solutions provider Alfen NV to deploy 5 GWh of sodium-ion energy storage systems in Western Europe beginning in 2027.
CATL said the latest agreement is intended to support broader adoption of sodium-ion battery technology across European energy storage markets.
Battery Designed for Long Service Life
According to CATL, the Tener Sodium system is designed to deliver up to 15,000 charge-discharge cycles and an operating life of 25 to 30 years.
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The company said the system retains approximately 92% of its capacity at temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius, making it suitable for regions that experience severe winter conditions, including parts of Eastern Europe.
The energy storage platform has a rated capacity exceeding 30 MWh and supports storage durations ranging from one to eight hours.
CATL added that the system shares the same physical dimensions as lithium-ion battery systems, allowing customers to deploy either technology using similar infrastructure.
Partnership Builds on Earlier Projects
CATL and Solarpro began collaborating in 2024 with the deployment of a 150 MWh EnerC+ liquid-cooled energy storage system in Bulgaria.
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Earlier this year, the companies also connected a 602 MWh Tener lithium-ion energy storage project to Bulgaria’s electricity grid.
According to CATL, that installation increased the country’s total energy storage capacity by approximately 10%.
Sodium-Ion Expansion Continues
CATL introduced the Tener Sodium system in June, describing it as the first field-validated sodium-ion battery energy storage solution.
The company plans to begin initial deliveries in China in September and expects shipments to reach 1 GWh by the end of 2026. Global commercial deliveries are scheduled to begin in June 2027.
Sodium-ion batteries have become an increasingly important part of CATL’s product portfolio.
In April, the company signed a 60 GWh, three-year supply agreement with Chinese energy storage company HyperStrong.
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CATL subsequently announced plans to invest 5 billion yuan ($736 million) in new sodium-ion battery manufacturing capacity in Fujian Province.
Previously, CATL founder and chairman Robin Zeng said sodium-ion batteries could eventually account for 30% to 40% of the existing battery market as the technology matures.