China new energy storage tops 100 GW as lithium overtakes pumped hydro

China’s new energy storage capacity exceeded 100 GW by June 2025, with total installations reaching 164.3 GW, surpassing pumped hydro additions amid accelerating deployments and changing market dynamics, according to the China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA).

From ESS News

China’s new energy storage market reached a milestone in the first half of 2025, according to a report by CNESA at the Western Energy Storage Forum in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, earlier this week.

CNESA said total energy storage capacity in China stood at 164.3 GW at end-June, up 59% year on year, while cumulative new-energy storage – primarily lithium-ion battery energy storage systems – surpassed 100 GW for the first time, reaching 101.3GW (a 110% increase compared to last year).

The report documents a structural transformation in China’s storage mix. Pumped hydro, which accounted for 89.3% of capacity at the end of the previous five-year period, has fallen to 37.4% of the fleet; lithium-ion now represents 59.9%. CNESA characterizes the change as a fundamental technology-route shift as the industry moves from a single-track to a multi-path landscape.

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