China has launched the world’s first gigawatt-hour scale vanadium flow battery energy storage project, marking a major milestone in long-duration grid-scale storage. Located in Jimusar County, Xinjiang, the project provides a total installed capacity of 200 MW / 1,000 MWh, enabling up to five hours of continuous discharge to support utility-scale grid operations.
The project represents a total investment of CNY 3.8 billion ($520 million) and spans a 1,870-hectare site. It was developed by Huaneng Xinjiang Jimusar Power Co., with engineering and system integration by PowerChina Northwest Engineering Corp. Construction was completed in mid-2025, and the project became fully operational on December 31, 2025.
Integrated with 1 GW Solar Plant
The energy storage system is co-located with a 1 GW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, designed to maximize renewable energy utilization. According to Rongke Power, the vanadium flow battery supplier, this integration will enable the storage system to capture surplus solar generation and provide an additional 230 GWh of renewable energy annually, reducing curtailment and improving system efficiency.
The project is designed for intensive daily cycling and a long operational life, ensuring reliability for large-scale, long-duration storage applications.
Vanadium Flow Battery Technology
The Jimusar project demonstrates the unique advantages of vanadium flow batteries for utility-scale applications:
- Liquid electrolytes in external tanks separate power from energy capacity, allowing easy scaling.
- High intrinsic safety: electrolytes are non-flammable.
- Long cycle life and stable performance under frequent daily cycling.
“Rongke Power continues to advance vanadium flow battery technologies and integrated energy storage solutions, supporting the global deployment of long-duration energy storage,” the company stated.
Supporting Grid Stability and Clean Energy Goals
Xinjiang, rich in solar and wind resources, faces grid congestion and transmission challenges. Large-scale storage like the Jimusar project helps stabilize the grid, reduce renewable energy curtailment, and enhance flexibility and resilience. By increasing the utilization of renewable energy, the project also contributes to carbon emission reduction and supports China’s transition toward a sustainable energy future.
Rongke Power emphasized, “With its high intrinsic safety, long operational life, and stable performance under frequent cycling, vanadium flow batteries are well-suited for large-scale, long-duration energy storage applications.”
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