- Energy storage units with longer lifespan set sail from Ningbo-Zhoushan port
- Green-powered Meishan terminal highlights push for low-carbon shipping infrastructure
China’s first known shipment of nickel-hydrogen battery energy storage cabinets was dispatched overseas on the evening of Apirl 13 from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang, marking a debut for the technology in maritime export logistics as the country gathers momentum in its energy storage sector.
The cargo departed aboard a Maersk container ship from the Meishan port area, which is known as Zhejiang’s first “green electricity terminal,” according to port authorities.
Compared with conventional lithium battery storage systems, nickel-hydrogen storage cabinets offer a significantly longer service life—estimated at two to three times longer—and lower average electricity costs.
The system also uses a water-based electrolyte, which the developer says virtually eliminates thermal runaway and fire risk, while offering non-toxic and fully recyclable characteristics.
Industry participants say the technology represents a potential step change in energy storage safety and sustainability, particularly for large-scale deployment scenarios linked to renewable power systems.
The shipment comes as Ningbo-Zhoushan Port expands its role in China’s green shipping transition.
In recent years, the port has rolled out shore power systems across all terminals except liquid chemical berths and has expanded clean fuel bunkering services to support low-emission shipping.
The Meishan terminal itself integrates wind, solar and storage under a “wind-solar-storage” system capable of generating up to 45 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, with a self-consumption rate exceeding 75%.
It has already supplied more than 58 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity to port operations.
The facility also ranks among the few global ports capable of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering, and is equipped with 15 shore power systems across high- and low-voltage operations.
Shore power usage at the terminal has surpassed 1.3 million kilowatt-hours so far this year, underscoring its role in China’s broader dual-carbon strategy.
