Batterie per accumulo: la Cina ne produce 420 GWh, +110% in sei mesi

Chinese battery storage: output up 110% to over 420 GWh

SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2026

Beijing's industry ministry reports production doubled in the first half of 2026, while overseas orders rose 83% and the government urged an end to the price war.

Chinese battery storage output passed 420 GWh in the first half of 2026, 110% more than in the same period of 2025. Vice-minister of Industry and Information Technology Xiong Jijun gave the figure on 15 October at the World Energy Storage Conference in Ningde, Fujian, where he also urged companies to avoid competing on price cuts alone.

Chinese battery storage: the figures

The Ningde figure measures production: how many cells and modules for stationary storage left Chinese factories, not how many were installed. Alongside output, official and industry data show where this capacity is going: a growing share leaves China.

Chinese output of energy storage batteries: over 420 GWh in the first half of 2026, up 110% on the same period of 2025.
New-type energy storage installed in China: 153 million kW at the end of June 2026, up 61% in a year according to the National Energy Administration.
Overseas orders signed by Chinese companies: 298 GWh in the first half of 2026, up 83% year on year.
Global shipments of energy storage batteries: 461.3 GWh in the first half of 2026, up 71%, with markets outside China above half of the total for the first time.
China's share of new global battery storage installations in 2025: 56%, out of about 307 GWh, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

A supply chain looking abroad

According to the ministry, over 90% of the key equipment used to make these batteries is now built in China. Installed capacity in the country, 153 million kW, is about 50 times the level at the start of 2021, when the 14th Five-Year Plan began.

The most relevant signal for buyers in Europe is the direction of flows. In first-half shipments, as measured by South Korean research firm SNE Research, North America, Europe and other regions accounted for about 56%, while China's share fell to 43.9% from 50.5% a year earlier. Overseas orders of Chinese companies grew 83%.

Beijing's warning on the price war

Xiong Jijun asked the industry to shift from growth in scale to innovation and to firmly prevent "involution-style" competition, the expression Chinese authorities use for the race to cut prices in sectors with too much capacity.

Doubled output does not in itself mean that prices will fall: the source reports no price lists, and the government's call points if anything the other way, towards curbing below-cost sales. It does suggest a market with plenty of supply available and producers increasingly focused on exports.

What it means for importers

Energy storage batteries matter to anyone importing systems for residential and commercial solar, uninterruptible power supplies, portable power stations and components for installers. The Ningde picture does not change rules or duties, but it points to a few concrete things.

The first is supplier choice. With supply growing fast, cell makers work alongside many assemblers who fit cells bought from others. It is worth asking in writing who makes the cells, with what chemistry and with what endurance tests, because two systems with the same stated capacity can contain cells of very different origin and quality.

The second is documentation. To sell in Italy, systems need CE marking and must comply with the European Batteries Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/1542; for shipping, lithium cells must have passed UN38.3 testing. These documents should be obtained before the order, not after the goods arrive.

The third is price. If Beijing manages to curb price cuts, today's very aggressive offers may not be repeated; if it does not, even lower offers may come from producers in difficulty, with the risk of unreliable supply. Either way, it pays to set price validity and late-delivery penalties in the contract.

With La Merce, importers of energy storage batteries from China, where output rose 110% in six months, check the cell maker, the UN38.3 reports and compliance with Regulation 2023/1542 at the factory before signing the order.