A new analysis from Wood Mackenzie shows that battery and system prices in China have plunged to record lows, reshaping utility-scale energy storage economics across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
The “APAC Utility-Scale Energy Storage Pricing Report 2025” attributes the price decline to rapid technology innovation, stabilisation of raw material costs, massive scale, and fierce market competition.
However, the consultancy warns battery prices could rise again after 2029 as demand growth outpaces lithium supply.
“In our forecast, China will continue to be the cheapest market for utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in APAC, with costs dropping 35 per cent to US$84 per kilowatt-hour by 2034,” said Jiayue Zheng, Senior Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie.
“System costs across Asia Pacific vary significantly due to import restrictions, local content requirements, certification standards and grid requirements.”
China continues to dominate the global battery storage landscape through large-scale manufacturing, heavy technology investment and intense domestic competition that has driven battery module costs to unprecedented lows in 2025.
By contrast, high costs in Australia and Japan reflect local market conditions and supply chain hurdles.
The Wood Mackenzie report notes that while Australia benefits from access to competitively priced Chinese batteries, persistent labour shortages in the clean energy sector have driven up construction and installation costs.
Japan’s reliance on domestic manufacturers reinforces the disparity, with system prices climbing to nearly three times those in China despite growing international participation.
The report covers five key APAC markets — China, Australia, Japan, South Korea and India — and highlights distinct chemistry preferences.
Most markets are shifting to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries, except South Korea, which continues to rely on Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) chemistries due to its established domestic supply base.
Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) costs range widely, from US$59/kWh to US$117/kWh, depending on market labour rates and regulatory standards.
“Our forecast considers that the average storage duration of a utility-scale project in APAC will increase from 2.4 hours in 2025 to 3.4 hours by 2034, with longer-duration systems offering cost advantages of up to 20 per cent per kilowatt-hour due to economies of scale in EPC costs,” said Natalie Thompson, Senior Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie.
India stands out for its stronger cost reduction potential, expected to see turnkey costs fall nearly 40 per cent by 2034, buoyed by government initiatives such as the Viability Gap Funding scheme and low labour costs.
“Lower battery costs have pushed energy storage investments to new highs in Asia Pacific,” said Alex Whitworth, Vice President at Wood Mackenzie.
“We see a market of over US$500 billion in the next decade, already overtaking coal and gas power investments.”
Whitworth said that as Asia Pacific moves toward longer-duration storage systems and navigates trade and supply chain challenges, gaining a clear understanding of evolving cost dynamics will be critical for developers, investors and policymakers.