At the construction site, technicians hold testing meters to verify the pressure of electrolyte pipelines one by one. Within the tank farm, vanadium electrolyte is slowly pumped into the stack system. Adjacent supporting production lines for the 500 MW / 2 GWh all-vanadium flow energy storage system integration are running at full capacity. Finished stacks and complete energy storage equipment are continuously supplied for the construction of the energy storage power station.
“The main equipment is basically installed. Electrolyte filling has reached 48.54%. Full filling and joint commissioning will be completed by the end of October, and grid-connected power generation will be realized by year-end,” said on-site staff from Chuxiong Jinjiang Energy Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd. As China’s largest all-vanadium flow energy storage station under construction, the 300 MW / 1,200 MWh Yongren project is transitioning from the framework erection phase of equipment installation to the critical stage of medium commissioning, or “activating its blood circulation”.
Over 100 kilometers away, machines roar at the Qinfeng Chemical Park in the industrial zone of Lufeng City, where construction of a production line with an annual output of 5,000 cubic meters of vanadium electrolyte is pressing ahead. Yongren focuses on stack manufacturing, system integration and scenario operation, while Lufeng specializes in core materials. The two zones echo each other. A full-chain collaborative campaign covering “materials – core manufacturing – station operation” is unfolding across Chuxiong.
### Integrated Layout to Build a Solid Energy Storage Ecosystem
Leveraging its abundant wind and solar resources and the Chuxiong-Panzhihua vanadium ore corridor, Jinjiang Energy Group Co., Ltd., a state-owned enterprise under Chuxiong Prefecture, acts as the industrial leader. With an industrial ecosystem and chain-based development mindset, it develops market scenarios for long-duration vanadium energy storage. The group coordinates major integrated projects of new energy and advanced equipment manufacturing in Yongren, Lufeng, Shuangbai and other regions, promoting integrated deployment of energy storage stations, core materials and equipment manufacturing to build a closed-loop industrial ecosystem for all-vanadium flow batteries. At present, the total installed energy storage capacity of the prefecture ranks among the top in Yunnan Province, and a benchmark for integrated “source-grid-load-storage” development in central Yunnan is taking shape rapidly.
Energy storage serves as a critical pillar for the robust growth of new energy. The value of all-vanadium flow energy storage lies in balancing power supply and demand peaks and valleys across the grid.
“Solar PV output is strong in the daytime with ample green power supply; after sunset, photovoltaic generation drops to zero just as power consumption peaks for production and daily life,” an on-site staff member explained. The all-vanadium flow energy storage system functions like a giant “power bank”. It absorbs surplus green photovoltaic power during the day and feeds electricity back to the grid at peak hours in the evening. The system can generate market returns through peak-valley electricity price spreads, smooth the volatility of new energy generation, enhance the grid’s peak shaving and power supply capacity, and resolve the pain point that photovoltaic power generation “depends on the weather”.
With a total investment of RMB 3.382 billion, the Yongren all-vanadium flow energy storage project has an operational lifespan of up to 25 years. Upon commissioning, it is expected to achieve annual charging volume of over 720 million kWh and annual discharging volume of over 504 million kWh. The project will complement and coordinate with the Yongren Zhixin 300 MW / 600 MWh independent energy storage demonstration project, continuously improving regional new energy consumption capacity and consolidating a solid foundation for the safe and stable operation of the central Yunnan power grid.
### Full-Chain Upgrade to Galvanize Industrial Growth
Building a power station is not enough; a complete industrial chain must be established. Previously, the development of all-vanadium flow energy storage relied heavily on external supplies of electrolyte and core components. Weak links in the industrial chain restricted long-term industrial development. Strengthening and completing the industrial chain has become a mandatory task for Chuxiong to develop its all-vanadium flow energy storage sector.
Jinjiang Energy Group pursues a two-pronged layout: Yongren prioritizes stack integration and complete energy storage equipment manufacturing, while Lufeng focuses on upstream vanadium electrolyte production. The two industrial parks work in tandem to address key bottlenecks of the industry. Once completed and put into operation, the vanadium electrolyte production line at Lufeng Qinfeng Chemical Park will deliver an annual capacity of 5,000 cubic meters of electrolyte. It will locally consume vanadium pentoxide and supporting acid and alkali raw materials from the park, filling the gap in the most critical upstream material for all-vanadium flow batteries. From vanadium raw material processing and electrolyte preparation to stack integrated manufacturing and energy storage station operation, an independently controllable, fully closed-loop vanadium flow battery industrial chain is rapidly forming on the central Yunnan plateau. It marks a successful practice of building, supplementing, strengthening and extending industrial chains and the upgrading of the “resource economy”.
The rise of major industrial clusters relies on coordinated platforms. As the main investment and operation entity for concentrated development of energy resources in Chuxiong, Jinjiang Energy Group adopts an operating model of “investment platform + project company + industrial fund”. It coordinates the construction of the Yongren energy storage station and integration production lines, Lufeng electrolyte and demonstration station, and Yuanmou equipment base. By introducing leading industrial players including Shanghai Electric, Sichuan Weili and Zhejiang Juhe Energy Storage for cooperation, a complementary industrial pattern has been formed: “Lufeng supplies electrolyte, Yongren undertakes primary integration, and Yuanmou provides equipment support”.
Up to now, Chuxiong’s installed energy storage capacity ranks first in Yunnan Province. After the Yongren 300 MW / 1,200 MWh all-vanadium flow energy storage project connects to the grid by year-end, together with the operational Zhixin lithium battery energy storage, Lufeng all-vanadium demonstration station and the ongoing Shuangbai 200 MW / 800 MWh grid-forming (intelligent) all-vanadium flow energy storage station, a diversified regulation system combining long-duration energy storage and short-term regulation, as well as flow batteries and lithium-ion batteries, will be built. It will continuously boost the capacity for new energy absorption and consumption and flexible peak shaving of the power grid in central Yunnan.
“To develop the new energy storage industry, we should not merely build power stations, but construct the entire industrial chain. We need to leverage our unique wind and solar resources, break bottlenecks across technology, materials, equipment and capital, and truly translate resource advantages into industrial competitiveness,” said a relevant person in charge of Jinjiang Energy Group.
Looking ahead, the enterprise will target the integrated development of “source-grid-load-storage-charging-carbon-digital” systems. It will strengthen five industrial segments: new energy power generation, new energy storage, charging infrastructure, advanced green manufacturing and carbon asset management. The group strives to build three benchmarks: a provincial demonstration zone for new energy development, a demonstration zone for coordinated “source-grid-load-storage” development, and a demonstration zone for the new power system. It aims to deliver a replicable and scalable “Chuxiong model” for the deep integration of green energy and advanced manufacturing in southwest China.
