China plans to have its battery storage capacity more than double to 180 gigawatts (GW) by 2027 in a new plan aimed at attracting $35.1 billion (250 billion Chinese yuan), the authorities said on Friday.
The massive deployment of the so-called new energy capacity—to differentiate from pumped-hydro storage—is part of a new work plan issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) for the period between 2025 and 2027.
China, which is the world’s top battery storage market, needs a lot more new battery storage to support the massive rollout of solar and wind power-generating capacity.
China has cemented its position as the world’s single largest investor in energy, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its World Energy Investment 2025 report.
“Today, China is by far the largest energy investor globally, spending twice as much on energy as the European Union – and almost as much as the EU and United States combined,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in the June report.
This year, China is expected to invest $627 billion in clean energy and $257 billion in fossil fuels, per the IEA analysis.
Even as China continues to invest in coal power plants, its clean energy investments far exceed the investments in fossil fuels.
Battery storage investments in China surged by 69% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period of 2024, while grid investment rose 22%, clean energy think tank Ember said in a report earlier this week.
Clean generation growth led by solar and wind met 84% of China’s electricity demand growth last year. In the first half of 2025, clean generation growth exceeded demand growth, cutting fossil fuel use by 2%, Ember has estimated.
“Accelerating deployment of renewables, grids and storage in China, combined with electrification of transport, buildings and industry, are rapidly bringing China itself towards a peak in energy-related fossil fuel use, while also reducing costs and accelerating uptake of clean electro-technologies in other countries,” Ember said.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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