On September 12, 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration jointly issued the "Special Action Plan for Large-Scale Construction of New Energy Storage (2025 - 2027)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"). As a programmatic document for promoting the large-scale development of China's energy storage industry, the "Action Plan" systematically plans the development goals, key tasks and safeguard measures in the field of energy storage for the next three years, injecting strong impetus into China's and even the global energy transformation.

1.  Anchor the 180GW installed capacity target and lead the global energy storage expansion wave

The "Action Plan" proposes that by the end of 2027, the total installed capacity of large-scale energy storage in China (mainly lithium-ion battery energy storage systems) will reach 180GW. This target represents a leapfrog growth compared to the installed capacity at the end of 2024.

According to data from the "2025 China New Energy Storage Development Report" released by the National Energy Administration, by the end of 2024, China's total installed energy storage capacity had reached 73.8GW/168GWh, a year-on-year increase of 130%, accounting for 40% of the global total, fully demonstrating China's leading position in the field of energy storage. Calculated based on the goals of the "Action Plan", China will add more than 106GW of energy storage installed capacity in the next three years, which is almost equivalent to the current global total of battery energy storage or non-pumped storage facilities, with an unprecedented expansion effort.

At the same time, the "Action Plan" estimates that the achievement of this goal will directly drive an investment of approximately 250 billion yuan (equivalent to about 35.2 billion U.S. dollars), creating a broad market space for the entire energy storage industry chain. From the manufacturing of core equipment such as energy storage cells and inverters, to system integration, power station construction and operation and maintenance, and then to the supporting upgrading of power grid infrastructure, the upstream and downstream of the energy storage industry chain will usher in a new round of investment boom, further consolidating China's core position in the global energy storage supply chain.

2.  Implement 21 key measures to promote the upgrading of the industrial system in multiple dimensions

To ensure the smooth achievement of installation targets, the "Action Plan" proposes 21 key measures from three major directions: application expansion, technological innovation, and standardization construction, establishing a comprehensive and systematic industrial development support system.

1)  Expand energy storage application scenarios

The "Action Plan" emphasizes the need to accelerate the large-scale deployment of energy storage in power grids and infrastructure, and deepen its application in traditional sectors such as peak shaving, frequency modulation, and emergency backup in power systems. At the same time, it encourages innovative integration in emerging scenarios such as new energy power generation bases, microgrids, data centers, and industrial and commercial parks, promoting the transformation of energy storage from a "single function" to "multiple values" and comprehensively enhancing the flexibility and stability of power systems.

2)  Accelerate breakthroughs in technological innovation

Technological progress is the key to promoting the high-quality development of energy storage. The "Action Plan" clearly states that it is necessary to accelerate the two-way breakthroughs in the performance and cost of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, and at the same time strongly support the research, development and industrialization of new energy storage technologies such as sodium-ion batteries, all-vanadium flow batteries, and compressed air energy storage, so as to form a diversified technological system featuring "leading mainstream technologies and supplemented by emerging technologies".

3)  Improve the construction of the standardization system

Standardization is the foundation for the healthy development of an industry. The "Action Plan" proposes to accelerate the formulation of a standard system covering the entire life cycle of energy storage systems, including design, manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance. It also aims to unify equipment testing and certification specifications, promote the interconnection of standards for the coordinated operation of energy storage and power grids, solve problems such as inconsistent standards and incompatible interfaces from the source, and improve the overall standardization level of the industry.

3.  Unleash global influence and accelerate the global energy transition

As the world's largest energy consumer and new energy market, the accelerated development of China's energy storage industry has a significant impact on the global energy landscape.

According to data from market intelligence agency Rho Motion, the global installed capacity of grid-scale energy storage systems (BESS) grew by 28% year-on-year in 2024. By 2025, the total installed capacity of energy storage projects in China had reached 189GW/457GWh. In August 2025 alone, China added approximately 2.5GW/8GWh of energy storage project installations, accounting for 64% of the global total in that month, highlighting China's role as a core driver in the global energy storage market.

The implementation of the "Action Plan" will further enhance the international competitiveness of China's energy storage technology and industry, promote enterprises to accelerate their "going global" pace, and provide cost-effective and replicable energy storage solutions for the global market. At the same time, China's experience in large-scale energy storage deployment will also become an important reference for international cooperation, offering a "Chinese model" for the global energy storage industry and helping the global energy system transform towards being clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient.

4.  Moving towards a new stage of "scale, marketization, and high quality"

The release of the "Action Plan" marks that China's energy storage industry has officially entered a new stage of parallel development characterized by "large-scale, market-oriented, and high-quality". In the next three years, driven by both policy guidance and market demand, China's energy storage industry will embrace unprecedented opportunities. It will not only become a new engine for promoting domestic economic growth but also play a more important strategic role in the global energy transition.