30 GWh, a billion-dollar order? Could the two giants be reuniting after four years?

From a business profile perspective, Sungrow Power Supply—global leader in energy storage system (ESS) integration—does not manufacture battery cells itself. Its PowerTitan ESS products have long relied on prismatic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells sourced from domestic Chinese battery manufacturers, a business model highly consistent with the reported order description. The Korean media’s characterization of the buyer as the 'world’s largest ESS manufacturer' also aligns with Sungrow’s longstanding position among the top global ESS system suppliers by shipment volume. On September 9, the overseas energy media outlet ESS News cited informed sources to further confirm that the buyer is indeed Sungrow. However, as of now, neither company has issued an official announcement; this conclusion remains at the level of market speculation. The two companies’ cooperative history dates back to 2016, when their joint venture factory in Hefei officially commenced operations, with an initial planned annual capacity of 2 GWh. This facility supported several landmark projects, including the Shanxi photovoltaic-storage demonstration project, Japan-based energy storage projects, and the Tibet photovoltaic-storage microgrid project. Subsequently, however, Samsung SDI shifted its strategic focus toward nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) traction batteries for electric vehicles, leading to misalignment in business priorities and a gradual decline in collaboration intensity. At the equity level, Samsung-Sungrow (Hefei) Energy Storage Battery Co., Ltd. was formally dissolved in 2021; in 2022, Sungrow acquired Samsung SDI’s remaining 30% stake in Sungrow-Samsung, achieving full ownership and renaming the entity Sungrow Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd. Thus ended one chapter of cooperation—only for the two firms to potentially embark on a new round of partnership years later. Samsung SDI doubles down on energy storage; U.S. factory capacity awaits order absorption In recent years, Samsung SDI has accelerated its strategic pivot—from EV traction batteries toward energy storage systems (ESS). Its U.S.-based StarPlus Energy (SPE) joint venture with Stellantis in Indiana has already redirected three of its four production lines toward energy storage applications. The first LFP line is scheduled to commence operations in October, producing 273Ah prismatic cells designed for Samsung’s proprietary SBB 2.0 containerized ESS solutions; the second line is dedicated exclusively to high-capacity prismatic cells for Tesla; and the third line is slated to produce 300Ah-class prismatic energy storage cells—offering higher capacity than those used in SBB 2.0—with related equipment procurement already underway. On August 27, Korean testing equipment manufacturer Innometry disclosed a roughly 5-billion-KRW order for CT inspection equipment for energy storage batteries; industry insiders widely anticipate this equipment will be deployed on the aforementioned 300Ah energy storage cell production line. Beyond the SPE factory, Samsung SDI’s energy storage initiatives are unfolding across multiple fronts. In March 2026, its U.S. subsidiary secured a battery supply contract valued at approximately 1.5 trillion KRW; in the same month, it signed a long-term agreement with Korean materials firm L&F for the supply of LFP cathode material. In August of the same year, Samsung SDI acquired General Motors’ 49.99% stake in their Synergy Cells joint venture, transforming the entity into a wholly owned subsidiary. This plant—designed for a total capacity of 27 GWh—is expected to prioritize energy storage applications going forward. Domestically, Samsung SDI announced a long-term investment plan committing 25 trillion KRW through 2040, of which 16 trillion KRW will be allocated to its Ulsan campus to develop three production lines: all-solid-state batteries, LFP-based energy storage batteries, and sodium-ion batteries.

Deepening presence in the energy storage cell segment: jointly seizing new opportunities in the projected $630 million global market by 2026 [Chart]

Global energy storage cell market revenue reached USD 580 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 1.032 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% (2026–2032). Energy storage cells are rechargeable single-cell batteries that store and release electrical energy via reversible electrochemical reactions. They serve as the foundational energy storage units for energy storage modules, packs, battery clusters, and battery energy storage systems (BESS), and are engineered primarily around key performance criteria—including cycle life, safety, energy efficiency, power capability, reliability, and total cost of ownership over their full lifecycle. By electrochemical technology pathway, energy storage cells encompass lithium-ion, sodium-ion, lead-acid, zinc-based, and iron–air chemistries, among which lithium iron phosphate (LFP) currently dominates stationary lithium-ion energy storage applications. Based on electrochemical system and structural design, products are mainly manufactured in prismatic, cylindrical, pouch, and other specialized cell formats. A typical lithium-ion energy storage cell comprises cathode, anode, separator, electrolyte, current collectors, terminals, casing, and safety components, enabling charge/discharge cycles through reversible ion migration between electrodes. Core performance metrics include nominal voltage, rated capacity, nominal energy, energy density, charge/discharge C-rate, cycle life, calendar life, internal resistance, capacity retention rate, and thermal stability. Energy storage cells find broad application across grid-scale storage, renewable energy integration (e.g., solar/wind + storage), commercial & industrial (C&I) storage, residential storage, telecom base stations, data center backup power, off-grid power supply, and long-duration energy storage (LDES). This study focuses specifically on rechargeable battery cells either sold independently to ESS integrators or internally supplied by cell manufacturers for their own ESS products. Industry Trends The global energy storage cell industry is evolving from conventional battery manufacturing toward purpose-built electrochemical energy storage products tailored for large-scale power systems, extended service life, and optimized total cost of ownership over the full lifecycle. One of the most significant technological shifts is the expansion of LFP energy storage cells—from mature 280Ah and 314Ah formats toward 500Ah-, 600Ah-, and even kiloampere-hour (kAh)-class high-capacity variants. Commercial production has already been achieved for cells rated at 587Ah, 628Ah, and 1175Ah—reflecting an industry-wide effort to reduce the number of electrical interconnections, simplify system architecture, and improve integration efficiency to lower overall ESS costs. Yet increasing cell capacity does not automatically translate into improved overall economics: challenges such as internal temperature distribution, electrode uniformity, electrolyte wetting, manufacturing yield, and post-deployment maintenance complexity also scale accordingly. Consequently, product development emphasis is shifting away from pure capacity maximization toward holistic optimization balancing capacity, safety, efficiency, and deliverable energy over the entire lifecycle. Meanwhile, advanced electrode design, automated assembly, digital quality control, and co-development of cells and systems are gaining ever-greater importance. Beyond lithium-ion technologies, emerging electrochemical storage solutions—including sodium-ion, zinc-based, and iron–air batteries—are expanding their market footprint, offering differentiated options suited to varying cost constraints, environmental conditions, and discharge duration requirements. Industry competition is thus gradually transitioning from nominal capacity comparisons toward real-world operational performance and total lifecycle economics. Market Dynamics Key Drivers

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