Energy Security Concerns Drive Global Energy Storage Orders Toward Chinese Companies
Claire Weston
Middle East conflict has exposed oil-and-gas supply-chain fragility, accelerating global investment in energy storage — CATL alone landed 5.4 GWh of overseas orders in the first two weeks of June, making Chinese firms the go-to suppliers for a world racing to lock in energy security.
Why the sudden rush to build storage?
The Middle East conflict showed governments that oil and gas supply chains can break fast — and staying dependent on "things going back to normal" is no longer acceptable.
This means → Even after the US-Iran deal declared hostilities over, the policy push behind storage investment is not fading — it has shifted from emergency response to structural strategy.
Matty Zhao, co-head of China equity at Bank of America Global Research, expects the US and Europe to ramp up fiscal spending on storage for years to come.
How much did CATL just win?
In the first two weeks of June alone, CATL (宁德时代) secured a combined 5.4 GWh in overseas storage orders, split across two deals.
Deal one: a partnership with Finland's Merus Power to deploy 3 GWh of storage in the Nordics. Deal two: a contract with Australia's Edify Energy to supply 2.4 GWh for two projects.
In plain terms = in two weeks, one company locked in enough storage capacity to power roughly 540 average US homes for a full year.
Who else is grabbing overseas contracts?
CALB Group (中创新航) signed a 220 MWh system procurement deal with Japan's Kitahama GRF on June 10, formally entering the Japanese market.
The order targets grid-side storage — essentially a giant backup battery for the power grid — and data-center backup power, two of the fastest-growing use cases.
This reflects a broader pattern: Chinese storage firms are not just landing deals in the US and Europe — the Asia-Pacific pipeline is opening up too.
What does 25 GWh of capacity in the pipeline mean?
Chinese storage companies now have over 25 GWh of capacity either under construction or contracted across the US and Europe.
In plain terms = 1 GWh covers about 100 average US homes for a year, so 25 GWh is roughly 2,500 households' annual electricity — and that is only the signed portion.
Two forces drive this demand: aging grids that urgently need upgrading + renewable energy integration that requires storage to keep the grid stable.
What is the biggest uncertainty?
The demand logic is clear, but trade-policy friction is the risk hanging overhead.
This means → Whether Chinese firms can keep locking in overseas orders as tariffs and regulatory scrutiny intensify will determine how far this growth curve runs.
Orders are landing fast, and policy walls are rising fast — the two are in a race.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.