China’s Mengxi grid in western Inner Mongolia had 20.23 GW of operational energy storage, with a total capacity of 70.47 GWh, as of October 27, according to data released by operator Inner Mongolia Power Group. Storage represents 11.5% of the grid’s installed power capacity, with an average nominal duration of about 3.5 hours.
The grid added 6.555 GW of storage in the first ten months of 2026, a 47.9% increase year on year. The growth included the commissioning of large independent storage projects in Wuchuan and Baotou.
Wind and solar make up nearly 60% of Mengxi’s installed generation capacity. On October 22, renewable output reached a daily record of 720 GWh, or 60.2% of total electricity generation. Wind generation also set a daily record, at 560 GWh.
Storage use has risen alongside renewable output. By October 27, cumulative charging and discharging volumes had reached 15.78 TWh and 14.04 TWh, respectively, with both more than 400% higher year on year. In the first ten months of the year, the grid carried out 95 emergency storage dispatches. The maximum reported contribution was 12.25 GW, equivalent to 33% of the grid’s electricity load at the time.
Inner Mongolia Power Group has linked 126 storage stations to a centralized monitoring platform. The operator says it combines market-based dispatch under normal conditions with centralized emergency interventions when supply shortages arise.
The company plans to advance six self-invested storage projects, including developments at Chunkunshan, Hanhai and Erzihao. It is also supporting grid connections for nearly 10 GW of new storage capacity during 2026. The Mengxi grid serves eight prefecture-level areas in central and western Inner Mongolia and operates separately from the eastern Inner Mongolia grid, which is managed by State Grid.
Sources: pv magazine.