Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) has unveiled its TENER+ energy storage system at All Energy Australia 2026, where it also showcased TENER Sodium.
The company signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) with Hitachi Energy, EPEC Group and UNSW Sydney to strengthen the delivery and grid connection of utility-scale battery projects in Australia.
Both TENER+ and TENER Sodium are engineered for harsh weather and designed to support compliance with Australia’s demanding grid connection requirements.
TENER+ is a 9MWh ultra-high capacity system that reduces the number of containers needed by 40 per cent and the project footprint by 35 per cent, making it well suited to projects facing land constraints.
Its intelligent thermal management system supports higher round-trip efficiency and lower auxiliary power consumption, while multiple units can be commissioned simultaneously with a single click.
Designed for a 25-year lifespan, TENER+ combines liquid cooling with protection suited to humid and coastal environments.
It operates below 65 dBA without heat-island effects, making it suitable for deployment near residential communities.
TENER Sodium is billed as the world’s first mass-produced, field-validated sodium-ion battery energy storage system.
It delivers more than 30MWh through a modular cabinet architecture and lowers total EPC costs by more than 10 per cent compared with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) containerised solutions.
Built for Australian heat, it operates in temperatures of up to 55 degrees Celsius, delivers more than 10,000 cycles at 45 degrees Celsius and achieves 95 per cent round-trip efficiency over a lifespan of more than 20 years.
Zane Zhou, General Manager of CATL Australia and New Zealand, said performance over time is the priority.
“A battery’s value is measured over the entire lifespan of a project and not just on the day it’s commissioned,” said Zhou.
Sodium is far more abundant and geographically widespread than lithium, offering an additional pathway for battery supply chains.
Zhou said: “We’re offering both sodium-ion and lithium-ion technologies to give asset owners and developers the flexibility to choose the right technology for their success.”
The launch comes as renewables supplied a record 44.3 per cent of National Electricity Market (NEM) generation in the September quarter of 2026.
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), grid-scale batteries supplied 8 per cent of evening peak generation, overtaking gas-powered generation for the first time.
As coal-fired power stations retire, the grid increasingly needs storage with grid-forming capability to provide voltage and frequency support.
CATL’s three MoUs target these challenges.
CATL’s DC battery products and Hitachi Energy’s power conversion systems will form the basis of a proposed integrated offering in Australia and the Asia Pacific region, aimed at improving compatibility, standardising project delivery and reducing integration risk.
CATL will work with EPEC Group and the Xiamen Empirical Energy Storage Research Institute (ESVL), combining its storage technology with EPEC’s grid integration and engineering delivery expertise and ESVL’s full-scale system validation.
With UNSW Sydney, it will jointly develop the Centre for Integrated Renewable Energy Training and Innovation in Western Sydney to build skills for the clean energy transition.
Birdwood Energy has selected CATL as the technology partner for the Baranduda Electrical Energy Reserve, a 400MW/1,860MWh battery near Wodonga in Victoria.
Alex Marriott-Smith, Australian Managing Director for Birdwood, said: “When combined with their strong local team and commercial approach, CATL has been a good strategic fit for the Baranduda Electrical Energy Reserve.”
CATL has led global energy storage battery shipments for five consecutive years, with a 30.4 per cent market share in 2025, according to SNE Research.
