Alfen, CATL to deploy 5 GWh sodium-ion BESS in Europe

Alfen, a European energy solutions provider, and CATL have expanded their collaboration to deploy 5 GWh of CATL’s advanced sodium-ion BESS across Europe, the Chinese battery giant said.

Since the start of their collaboration, Alfen and CATL have worked closely on lithium-ion energy storage projects. Back in 2023, the two parties began a long-term battery supply partnership, which was expanded in 2024 to accommodate Alfen’s growing demand for energy storage deployment in Europe. 

“Sodium-ion is the next step in how we think about energy storage — more diversified, resilient, and built for where the market is heading,” said Michael Colijn, CEO, Alfen. “This step with CATL puts us ahead of that curve and we’re looking forward to continuing this partnership.”

“We are excited to partner with Alfen, one of our key strategic partners, to accelerate the deployment of next-generation energy storage technologies across Europe,” said Tan Libin, Chief Customer Officer & Co-President of Sales and Marketing, CATL. “With their superior safety performance and lifecycle sustainability advantages, sodium-ion batteries will deliver unique value to European customers and support the region’s transition to a cleaner, more resilient energy future.”

This initiative enables Alfen to diversify its battery material portfolio, optimise the cost structure of its energy storage products and strengthen resilience against lithium price volatility, enhancing its competitiveness in mid-to-large scale European project tenders.

Joint deployment of sodium-ion projects with Alfen allows CATL to accumulate localised European grid application experience for sodium batteries, optimize product adaptation to European grid codes, and accelerate the global scaling of sodium-ion energy storage shipments, CATL said.