China’s switches on world’s first GWh-scale supercapacitor-energy storage project

The installation of the 500 MW/1,000 MWh supercapacitor-hybrid system in Jiayuguan, Gansu Province, China has made significant progress in grid-scale energy storage. This is the first gigawatt-hour (GWh)-scale energy storage project in history to combine supercapacitors and large-format batteries.

The Jiayuguan NingSheng project can store and

supply up to 1 GWh of energy every cycle by combining 475 MW of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with a 25 MW supercapacitor device. This facility, which will be connected to the grid by the end of December 2025, is built to enable rapid response power in addition to bulk energy storage. This combination helps stabilize frequency, support inertia, and balance the integration of intermittent solar generation.

Dr. Li Wei, Chief Engineer for Energy Storage of China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC) Ningxia subsidiary, which owns and runs the facility, is at the center of this innovative project. Dr. Li has been crucial in advancing hybrid storage innovation from concept to reality with his more than 20 years of experience in energy systems and storage deployment.

The Jiayuguan NingSheng project provides a new paradigm for grid flexibility and renewable integration, not just a storage facility. These kinds of hybrid energy storage technologies will be essential for preserving grid efficiency and reducing curtailment as China increases its capacity for renewable energy, especially solar and wind.

The project can manage multi-hour energy shifts and high-frequency power quality events by combining long-duration battery storage with rapid-response supercapacitors, a feature that typical systems find difficult to provide at scale.