# CATL targets mid-2027 for first sodium-ion battery deliveries in Chile *The Chinese battery maker is expanding its Atacama footprint with extreme-temperature sodium storage for mining microgrids while building a 5.9-gigawatt-hour pipeline.* **Published:** September 4, 2026 **By:** Lian Chen **Section:** Batteries & Electric Vehicles — China **Format:** Breaking **Confidence:** medium **Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/batteries-ev/catl-targets-mid-2027-first-sodium-ion-battery-deliveries-166 **Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/) --- ## What to know - The timeline anchors the company's expansion into Latin America's power market. - CATL is pitching the technology to copper and lithium mining operations across northern Chile. - Mining facilities in the high-altitude Atacama plateau face freezing night temperatures and intense daytime heat. ![Technicians in protective suits monitor robotic arms along an automated battery manufacturing line inside a CATL facility. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-09-04-b9c53eb57ede.webp) *Technicians in protective suits monitor robotic arms along an automated battery manufacturing line inside a CATL facility. (AI-generated image)* Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited plans to dispatch its first utility sodium-ion storage batteries in Chile by mid-2027, the Chinese battery manufacturer said on Sept. 3, 2026. The timeline anchors the company's expansion into Latin America's power market. Striver Liu, chief executive of CATL Chile, announced the delivery schedule during the first anniversary of the company's Santiago office. CATL is pitching the technology to copper and lithium mining operations across northern Chile. The installations will operate behind the meter, supplying power directly to industrial operations without straining the national transmission grid. Mining facilities in the high-altitude Atacama plateau face freezing night temperatures and intense daytime heat. Sodium-ion cells maintain chemical stability and discharge performance in thermal swings where conventional lithium-iron-phosphate packs lose efficiency. The manufacturer plans to offer these systems under a storage-as-a-service model. Mining operators can pay for storage capacity as an operational expense instead of funding upfront plant construction. Chilean mining operations consume roughly a third of the nation's total electricity. Switching haulage fleets and refining infrastructure from diesel to electric power has accelerated industrial demand for localized, high-durability battery storage. CATL first introduced its commercial sodium-ion container platform in Munich on June 22, 2026. That system, marketed as TENER Sodium, integrates modular enclosures into utility-scale storage units delivering more than 30 megawatt-hours. The TENER Sodium system uses a liquid-cooling design that reduces auxiliary power consumption by up to 20%. The modular container architecture allows developers to build a one-gigawatt-hour facility using 34 connected units. Global deliveries for the TENER Sodium platform begin in June 2027, the company said at the Munich debut. CATL expects cumulative worldwide shipments of sodium storage to reach one gigawatt-hour before the end of 2026. Sodium-ion chemistries eliminate the need for lithium, cobalt and nickel in the battery cell. Sodium carbonate is chemically abundant and broadly distributed, insulating project developers from mineral shortages and raw material price volatility. Deploying sodium-ion units in Chile marks a strategic shift for global storage supply chains. Chile holds the world's largest proven lithium reserves, yet industrial users there now seek alternative chemistries to lower operating costs. Global battery developers view sodium and lithium as complementary chemistries rather than direct substitutes. William Wu, director of CATL's Energy Storage Technology Center, said in June that the two chemistries would form twin foundations for power storage. CATL already commands an extensive lithium storage footprint in the Chilean market. The company has 1.2 gigawatt-hours of operational storage capacity connected to local solar complexes, according to regional branch data. That operational figure centers on the Gabriela storage facility, built for Spanish renewable developer Grenergy Renovables. CATL supplied liquid-cooled lithium enclosures for the 1.25-gigawatt-hour site, which entered service in late 2025. Another 1.1 gigawatt-hours of storage capacity is under active construction at the Malgarida solar complex for Acciona Energia. That project will finish commissioning by the end of 2026, the company said. CATL is shipping 1.3 gigawatt-hours of battery enclosures to Chilean project developers. An additional 2.3 gigawatt-hours of projects are in advanced pre-construction phases, pending final installation permits and civil works. Those contracted volumes will bring CATL's cumulative Chilean battery storage installations to 5.9 gigawatt-hours by the first half of 2027. The company is using international financing platform BESS Broadway to structure and fund these large deployments. BESS Broadway originates, develops and finances projects larger than 100 megawatt-hours across Latin America, Europe, Australia and Japan. The platform holds a global development pipeline of 65 gigawatts and 260 gigawatt-hours. Chile's national grid faces severe transmission congestion between solar plants in the northern desert and consumption centers in Santiago. Power producers frequently curtail clean generation at midday because transmission lines cannot carry the load. Local storage and renewables chamber Acera has urged regulators to accelerate market rules governing opportunity costs and dispatch coordination. Clearer operational regulations will allow utility batteries to absorb daytime generation and stabilize local frequency. Utility storage enables independent power producers to capture surplus solar electricity at midday and inject it during evening peak hours. Chilean authorities aim to integrate 10 gigawatts of storage capacity across the country by 2030. Beyond Chile, CATL is building regional energy storage infrastructure across South America. The manufacturer maintains commercial pipelines in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Argentina to supply renewable hybrid projects and industrial microgrids. The company operates 1.5 gigawatt-hours of storage systems across South America. Another 3.0 gigawatt-hours are under construction, with 4.2 gigawatt-hours in active maritime transit toward regional ports. Pre-construction preparation covers another 4.5 gigawatt-hours of prospective installations. CATL expects its regional total across all five South American markets to reach 13.2 gigawatt-hours by the middle of 2027. In Brazil, CATL formed a strategic partnership with battery group Moura on Aug. 25, 2026. The two companies will jointly bid on federal capacity reserve auctions for grid-scale battery storage. The manufacturer is also establishing technical training facilities and end-of-life battery recycling channels through its Santiago office. The local center will support maintenance teams across neighboring markets, the company said. Commissioning teams will finish testing on the Malgarida battery installation in December 2026, clearing the way for commercial grid operation in early 2027. ## Impact map | Event | Korea | China | Japan | Global impact | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sodium-ion storage deployment | | battery cell exports | | lithium price hedging | ## In this story - **Companies:** Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited - **Tickers:** 300750.SZ - **Exposed:** Grenergy Renovables, Acciona Energia, BAE Sistemas de Energia Moura - **Policy:** Subsidies - **Impact:** Supply Chain, Capex, Cost Structure ## Primary sources 1. bnamericas.com 2. catl.com --- Cite as: East Asia Brief, "CATL targets mid-2027 for first sodium-ion battery deliveries in Chile," September 4, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/batteries-ev/catl-targets-mid-2027-first-sodium-ion-battery-deliveries-166