Shanghai’s 20MW/80MWh Vanadium Flow Battery Energy Storage Unit Achieves Full-Capacity Grid Connection
Date: 07 Oct 2026 |
7 October 2026 — A 20MW/80MWh all-vanadium flow battery energy storage unit at the Shanghai New Energy Storage Testing Base (Phase I) has achieved full-capacity grid connection, marking an important milestone for long-duration energy storage deployment in one of China’s largest urban power systems.
The unit, for which Shanghai Electric Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Electric Energy Storage”) supplied the core equipment, reached full-capacity grid connection on 30 September. The project was invested in and developed by China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. East China Branch and forms a key part of Shanghai’s new energy storage technology demonstration platform.
Located on the site of retired thermal power generating units at Shidongkou No. 1 Power Plant, the Phase I testing base is one of Shanghai’s first independent energy storage power stations. The overall project has a planned capacity of 50MW/200MWh and combines vanadium flow batteries with semi-solid-state batteries in a hybrid energy storage configuration. It also makes use of the former power plant’s existing 220kV step-up substation infrastructure, providing a potential model for repurposing conventional thermal power assets as integrated energy storage facilities.
The testing base is designed to support three principal objectives: demonstrating multiple energy storage technologies under comparable operating conditions; validating coordinated dispatch algorithms and control strategies for hybrid storage systems; and advancing long-duration energy storage performance testing and related standards.
The newly connected 20MW/80MWh vanadium flow battery system is a core subsystem of Phase I. According to the project source, the technology offers long cycle life, inherent safety characteristics, no thermal-runaway risk, and suitability for storage durations of four hours or more. Combined with the project’s semi-solid-state battery system, it is intended to demonstrate the technical and economic performance of hybrid storage across applications including coordinated peak shaving, peak-demand power supply and renewable energy integration.
The project also achieved a compressed construction and commissioning schedule. Equipment deliveries began on 30 August, after which Shanghai Electric Energy Storage worked with China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. East China Branch and the project’s design, construction and commissioning teams on installation, system integration, safety verification and grid-connection testing. According to the source, all construction and commissioning work was completed in approximately one month, enabling the system to reach full-capacity grid connection as scheduled.
The milestone highlights the growing role of long-duration storage in supporting grid flexibility and renewable energy integration in major urban power systems. Shanghai Electric Energy Storage said it plans to continue developing flow-battery-based long-duration storage, with a focus on system safety, energy efficiency, operational reliability and project delivery, while accelerating the large-scale commercialization of long-duration storage technologies.
Source: This press release is based on an article published on 7 October 2026, by CarbonSuo Energy Storage (碳索储能网), which identifies the original information source as Shanghai Electric Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd. (上海电气储能科技有限公司).