SGCC-CATL(Fujian) Energy Storage Development Co., Ltd. (SG-CATL) and China Huadian Corporation Ltd. (CHD) kicked off a 300MW/600MWh thermoelectric energy storage project on July 10. SG-CATL is jointly invested by the State Grid Integrated Energy Service Group Co. Ltd and CATL. Zhang Jifu, secretary of Datong Municipal Party Committee, Zhang Qiang, deputy secretary of Datong Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Datong, Robin Zeng, chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), Ren Weili, chairman of the State Grid Integrated Energy Service Group, and Fan Gongcheng, chairman of SG-CATL attended the commencement ceremony.

Covering an area of 2.5 hectares, the project is designed as the outdoor pre-installed battery energy storage station with the latest technology, and is going to be put into operation by the end of December this year. The energy storage power station will follow the dispatch of the State Grid and participate in auxiliary services such as peak shaving and frequency regulation when starting operation. It will also provide services in the power consumption and storage for the growing new energy power stations, assisting in building a new power system based on renewable energy. After completion, the project will become the first large-scale centralized lithium-ion battery energy storage power station in Shanxi Province. 

Zhang Qiang, deputy secretary of Datong Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Datong, said: "This energy storage project will definitely play a positive role in promoting the integration of energy storage in power generation, power grids, and power consumption in Datong，and also promote the development of a balanced energy mix, thus accelerating the construction of a new pattern of energy economy." 

Robin Zeng, chairman of CATL, said: "Commencement of this energy storage project demonstrates that electrochemical energy storage can play an important role on the power grid side. Relying on our core competitiveness, we will make it possible to replace fossil energy with renewable energy using advanced electrochemical energy storage technology. In the future, CATL will join forces with the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) and CHD to make the project become a leading energy storage benchmark project in the world, and contribute to the low-carbon circular development of Datong city and Shanxi Province, thus promoting the realization of carbon neutrality." 

Before the commencement ceremony, Zhang Jifu and Zhang Qiang held talks with Robin Zeng, Ren Weili and Fan Gongcheng on expanding investment and initiating pilot projects in Datong, strengthening strategic cooperation in the fields of integration of energy storage in power generation, power grids, and power consumption, and also the development of a balanced energy mix, to further facilitate the rapid development of the new energy industry.