Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has entered into a 2 GWh agreement with Bulgarian renewable energy contractor Solarpro to deploy what is presented as the first large-scale sodium-ion battery storage project in Central and Eastern Europe in 2026 (CATL announcement, 21/07/2026).
The agreement includes CATL’s TENER Sodium system, which is designed to deliver a lifespan of 15,000 cycles, equivalent to 25 to 30 years of operation, and to retain 92% of its capacity at -20°C. According to the announcement, these characteristics make it particularly suitable for the severe winter conditions experienced in Eastern Europe, where temperatures can fall to between -15°C and -20°C.
“Building on past successes—including a 150 MWh EnerC+ system in 2024 and a grid-connected 601 MWh TENER project in May 2026 that expanded Bulgaria’s storage capacity by 10%—this agreement extends the mutual partnership into cutting-edge sodium-ion technology”, said CATL.
The Chinese company said its objective is to accelerate the large-scale commercial deployment of sodium-ion battery energy storage technology worldwide.