In the "Action Plan for High-quality Development of the New Energy Storage Manufacturing Industry" issued by multiple departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the diversification of new energy storage and core technologies is emphasized. It clearly aims to enhance the technological breakthroughs and engineering capabilities of new energy storage technologies such as flow batteries, and promote research and development support in key areas such as key materials, fuel cells, energy efficiency, and reliability.
The Special Action Plan (2025-2027) jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration proposes that by 2027, the installed capacity of new energy storage systems nationwide will be significantly increased, with a focus on promoting the large-scale construction of long-duration energy storage systems, including flow batteries. Such policies link long-term quantitative goals with financial investment, providing clear expectations for corporate investment and project implementation.
Driven by a series of national and local policies, China's flow battery energy storage is undergoing a transition from demonstration to engineering-level application by 2025, forming a replicable design system, EPC capability, supply chain, and cost curve. These are the capabilities that are currently most scarce in Europe and the most difficult to achieve on its own in the short term.

According to relevant statistics, in 2025, China's newly installed capacity of flow battery energy storage will reach 1.1GW/4.66GWh, representing a year-on-year increase of 36.7% (power) / 44.5% (capacity), accounting for 1.7% (power) / 2.4% (capacity).
Among them, the newly installed capacity of all-vanadium flow battery energy storage was 1.06GW/4.45GWh, accounting for 96.3% (power) / 95.5% (capacity) of the newly installed capacity of flow battery energy storage. The newly installed capacity of zinc-bromine flow battery energy storage was 50kW/200kWh, accounting for 0.005% (power) / 0.004% (capacity). The newly installed capacity of iron-based flow battery energy storage was 35.255MW/191MWh, accounting for 3.2% (power) / 4.1% (capacity). The newly installed capacity of aqueous organic flow battery energy storage was 5MW/20MWh, accounting for 0.453% (power) / 0.429% (capacity).
In terms of typical projects, the "national top" of the 1,000,000 kW photovoltaic + 200,000 kW/1,000,000 kWh all-vanadium redox flow energy storage integrated project in Beiting, Jimsar, Xinjiang, is reflected in two key indicators: an installed capacity of 1,000 MW, with strong energy conversion and supply capabilities; and an energy storage capacity of 1,000,000 kWh, with a storage duration of 5 hours, a single maximum storage capacity of 1,000,000 kWh, and a total investment of 3.8 billion yuan. After the project is operational, the annual average power generation will be approximately 1.72 billion kWh.
The 100MW/400MWh all-vanadium redox flow energy storage power station in Shichengzi Photovoltaic Industrial Park, Hami, Xinjiang, is invested and constructed by Hami East Tianshan Power Generation Co., Ltd. Dalian Rongke Energy Storage Technology Development Co., Ltd. is responsible for the supply of energy storage equipment, while PowerChina Northwest Engineering Corporation Limited is in charge of the overall design and engineering construction of the power station.
The construction scale of the full vanadium redox flow energy storage project in Lufeng City, Yunnan Province, is 100MW/400MWh. The battery technology route chosen is full vanadium redox flow batteries. The project covers an area of 60.39 acres. The project plans to construct 360 sets of main energy storage capacity unit equipment, 180 sets of power unit equipment, 20 sets of bidirectional converter systems (PCS), and a 220kV booster station for the energy storage power station. The total investment is 1.22716 billion yuan (including transmission projects).
The 300MW/1200MWh vanadium redox flow energy storage power station project in Yongren County, Chuxiong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, primarily involves the construction of a vanadium redox flow energy storage power station with an installed capacity of 300MW/1200MWh, accompanied by the installation of 600 sets of vanadium redox flow battery cabin systems. The project has an operational period of 25 years, with an annual average discharge capacity of 360 million kWh, and a total investment of approximately 3.382 billion yuan.
The 100MW/400MWh all-vanadium redox flow battery independent new energy storage project in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, is a key provincial demonstration project. Located in the Tuzhu Textile Park in the downtown area of Leshan City, with a total investment of 1.4 billion yuan, it is the first all-vanadium redox flow energy storage power station in Leshan.
Regarding the bidding prices, the prices for the full-year 2025 vanadium redox flow battery energy storage systems primarily ranged from 1.946 to 2.76 yuan/Wh, with an average price of 2.28 yuan/Wh and a weighted average bidding price of 2.53 yuan/Wh.
Among them, the lowest quotation came from the procurement of a 3MW/18MWh all-vanadium flow battery energy storage system for the TEDA Integrated Energy's gigawatt-hour-scale long-duration energy storage power station project based on incremental distribution grid. Xinxing Green Energy and New Materials Research Institute (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. won the bid with a price of 35.03 million yuan, equivalent to a unit price of 1.946 yuan/Wh.
Apart from vanadium-based batteries, the bidding prices for domestic zinc-bromine flow battery energy storage systems in 2025 were mainly concentrated in the range of 2.2-3 yuan/Wh, with an average price of 2.52 yuan/Wh. The bidding prices for iron-based flow battery energy storage systems in 2025 were mainly concentrated in the range of 3.216-3.369 yuan/Wh, with an average price of 3.293 yuan/Wh. The bidding prices for aqueous organic flow battery energy storage systems in 2025 were mainly concentrated in the range of 3-9.1 yuan/Wh, with an average price of 7.367 yuan/Wh, and the weighted average bid price was 3.015 yuan/Wh.
In terms of production capacity, by the end of 2025, China's flow battery production capacity had reached a cumulative total of 16GW/65GWh, encompassing electrolyte/electrolysis stack/battery production as well as system integration. The total investment exceeded 30 billion yuan, with an annual output value exceeding 10 billion yuan.
In 2025, China witnessed the launch of 51 new flow battery production projects, with a total newly added capacity of 24GW/96.6GWh. Among them, 31 projects disclosed their investment amounts, totaling 36.2 billion yuan; 19 projects disclosed their annual output value after reaching full capacity, totaling 55 billion yuan. In 2025, China's newly commissioned flow battery capacity reached 3.5GW/14.6GWh, accounting for 15.1%; newly planned capacity was 30.8GWh, accounting for 31.9%; and newly started/under-construction capacity was 51.2GWh, accounting for 53%.
In 2025, the industrialization of flow battery energy storage in China is accelerating, and it holds significant advantages in the field of large-scale system integration and engineering delivery. This also serves as an important foundation for Chinese enterprises to enter the European market.
Among all technological routes, flow batteries are the closest to the concept of "electrochemical pumped storage". Their power and capacity are decoupled, allowing for operation for 8 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours or even longer, with a cycle life of up to 20,000 cycles and no risk of thermal runaway.