Chinese battery maker CATL has signed the first major deal for sodium-ion batteries, an emerging technology that promises a lower-cost, safer alternative to widely used lithium-ion batteries.
CATL will ship 60 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of the batteries to energy storage system manufacturer Beijing HyperStrong Technology over three years, according to a statement on CATL’s WeChat account late on Monday that did not say how much the deal was worth.
CATL did not immediately respond to a Reuters request to comment on the deal value.
“This collaboration signals that CATL has successfully resolved the difficulties of sodium ion battery production across the industrial chain and has the capability for large-scale deliveries,” the statement said.
CATL said it had improved the energy density of its sodium-ion batteries and had also resolved some production issues, such as moisture control.
Sodium-ion batteries could offer safety improvements over lithium-ion batteries, some research shows, while utilising a widely available raw material whose prices are less volatile than those of lithium, the current mainstream technology.
CATL is the world’s top manufacturer of battery cells for energy storage, according to a 2025 ranking by consultancy InfoLink.
This technology is seeing rising demand due to the need to back up intermittent renewables and ensure that power keeps flowing to data centers.
Reuters
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