China Huadian Launches 12 GWh Energy Storage Tender, Linked to SMM Lithium Prices

Published: Feb 6, 2026 14:42
China Huadian launched a 12 GWh energy storage tender for 2026, explicitly requiring ≥314Ah cells. The contract uniquely links pricing to SMM’s lithium carbonate index to manage market volatility. With bids opening February 11, 2026, this tender cements 314Ah technology and SMM benchmarks as the new standard for utility-scale projects.

As a Fortune Global 500 enterprise and one of China's "Big Five" state-owned power generation groups, China Huadian Corporation serves as a critical bellwether for the national energy sector. Its procurement strategies and technical standards frequently set the benchmark for the entire industry's direction.

According to information obtained by SMM, on January 21, the tender announcement for China Huadian Corporation Ltd.'s 2026 LFP electrochemical energy storage system framework procurement was officially released. The estimated procurement volume for this framework reached 12 GWh, an increase of 6 GWh compared to the previous year. The procurement scope covers the supply and installation guidance of 0.5C and 0.25C LFP electrochemical energy storage systems (including batteries), explicitly requiring that the battery cell capacity be ≥314Ah, with an overall warranty period of 5 years.

Project Scale and Implementation Instructions
The tender project is divided into one section, with an estimated framework capacity of approximately 12 GWh. The announcement indicated that the actual procurement volume might be lower or higher than the estimated procurement scale (the upper limit not exceeding 20%), and the final volume would be determined based on the actual requirements of each project under the Huadian Group. The bid inviter reserves the right to exclude certain projects from this framework procurement and does not guarantee that the actual procurement specifications will be completely consistent with the tender scope.

Price Linkage Mechanism:
Notably, the procurement contract continues to adopt an authoritative market price linkage mechanism. According to the announcement, the price of the battery prefabricated cabin in the contract for shortlisted suppliers will be adjusted based on the price change amplitude of lithium carbonate (99.5% battery-grade) (Battery-Grade Lithium Carbonate, Price of Other Minor Metals Per Ton Today, Minor Metals Prices Charts - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)) published on the official website of SMM. This clause once again confirms the recognition of the SMM price benchmark by leading central state-owned enterprises in the industry. The announcement also stipulates that when market price fluctuations intensify, and the original price adjustment mechanism is deemed invalid by the bid inviter, the price adjustment will refer to the market tender prices of similar projects during the same period.

Qualification Threshold and Key Periods
This tender imposes strict performance requirements, mandating that bidders have, from January 1, 2024, to the present, at least one contract performance for LFP electrochemical energy storage system integrated equipment with a single project capacity of ≥200 MWh, or a cumulative capacity of no less than 2,000 MWh (single project ≥10 MWh).

Tender document acquisition period: January 21, 2026, to January 28, 2026.

Submission deadline / Tender opening time: 09:00 on February 11, 2026. Bid Opening Location: China Huadian Group E-commerce Platform (Electronic Bid Opening).

SMM possesses a scientific and comprehensive price assessment methodology, which is increasingly gaining market attention and recognition. SMM is committed to providing more transparent price information for upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain, not only increasing the efficiency of resource allocation but also enhancing market stability, effectively reducing transaction costs and market risks for enterprises.

 

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
Contract For 3,000 Tons Of Lithium Carbonate Terminated
15 mins ago
Contract For 3,000 Tons Of Lithium Carbonate Terminated
Read More
Contract For 3,000 Tons Of Lithium Carbonate Terminated
Contract For 3,000 Tons Of Lithium Carbonate Terminated
On March 16, 2026, Xi'an Lanshen New Material Technology Co., Ltd. announced the formal termination of the "Sales Contract for a 3,000 Tons/Year Battery-Grade Lithium Carbonate Extraction Plant" signed with HANACOLLA S.A. from Argentina. The core reason for this contract termination was a change in the overall project planning. Given that the "Sales Contract" was still within its validity period and partially fulfilled, the two parties reached an agreement after friendly negotiations. According to the signed "Termination Agreement," the original sales contract will be terminated from the date of the agreement's signing.
15 mins ago
CATL Jinchui Battery Base Nearing Delivery
15 mins ago
CATL Jinchui Battery Base Nearing Delivery
Read More
CATL Jinchui Battery Base Nearing Delivery
CATL Jinchui Battery Base Nearing Delivery
Recently, the CATL New Energy Battery Base Project (Jinchui Phase I) located in Badu Town, Jiaocheng District, Ningde City, Fujian Province, is scheduled to complete delivery by the end of April 2026. Jinchui Phase I involves a total investment of approximately 2 billion yuan, covering about 900 mu of land. It plans to construct approximately 370,000 square meters of new energy battery intelligent manufacturing standard factories and supporting auxiliary facilities. Upon completion, it will become an important production base for CATL in Jiaocheng District. CATL disclosed that its production capacity reached 772 GWh in 2025, with 321 GWh under construction.
15 mins ago
Shengquan Group Achieves Key Breakthrough in Sodium-ion Battery Material Industrialization
17 mins ago
Shengquan Group Achieves Key Breakthrough in Sodium-ion Battery Material Industrialization
Read More
Shengquan Group Achieves Key Breakthrough in Sodium-ion Battery Material Industrialization
Shengquan Group Achieves Key Breakthrough in Sodium-ion Battery Material Industrialization
On March 17, Shengquan Group (605589.SH) disclosed on the investor interaction platform that the company had completed construction of a 10 kt sodium-ion battery hard carbon anode production line. Products developed based on the dual technology routes of biomass refining and resin have successfully entered the supply chains of leading battery cell enterprises and can be adapted to multiple application scenarios including energy storage and 3C. The industrialisation layout of sodium-ion battery materials has achieved a key breakthrough.
17 mins ago