China’s Huadian announces winners in 6 GWh BESS tender with average bid at $65/kWh

Public procurements in China continue to demonstrate exceptionally low price levels for lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery energy storage systems (BESS). In the latest tender, more than 80% of bidders quoted prices below CNY 0.5/Wh ($69/kWh), highlighting the fierce competition in the world’s biggest BESS market.

On March 18, Huadian Group, one of the five largest state-owned power generation enterprises in China, released the list of the winning bidders in its 2025 procurement seeking a cumulative 6 GWh of battery storage.

Out of 67 bidders, six companies emerged as winners, including CRRC Zhuzhou Institute, Electric Times, Sungrow Power Supply, TBEA, Easy Power, and State Grid Nanjing Automation. In addition, Huadian Science and Technology, HyperStrong, and BYD were shortlisted as alternative candidates.

The quotation range of 66 valid bids was 0.4563-0.5455 yuan/Wh, with an average quotation of 0.4877 yuan/Wh.

The results announced last week showed that the quotations of the nine shortlisted winning candidates ranged from 0.4583 to 0.486 yuan/Wh, with an average quotation of 0.4751 yuan/Wh. The average bid of the first six candidates was 0.4730 yuan/Wh, while the bids of the three alternative companies were somewhat higher and stood at 0.4738 yuan/Wh, 0.486 yuan/Wh and 0.4784 yuan/Wh.

The latest results follow in the footsteps of recent procurements which saw similarly low prices. In December, PowerChina’s 2025-2026 energy storage system procurement, which sought 16 GWh of BESS, saw bids ranging from $60.5/kWh to $82/kWh, averaging $66.3/kWh. In January, CGN New Energy procured 4.5 GWh of grid-forming BESS and 6 GWh of grid-following BESS. In the first group, the bids averaged CNY 0.6067/Wh ($84/kWh), while in the second one the average was CNY 0.489/Wh ($67/kWh).

Similar to previous tenders, Huadian’s procurement does not only involve the supply of 0.5 C and 0.25 C LFP batteries, but also covers installation guidance, with a battery cell capacity of at least 314 Ah and an overall warranty of five years.