China's EVE Energy has signed a five-year framework agreement to supply up to 206 GWh of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries to U.S. energy-storage integrator Fluence Energy, one of the largest single BESS supply commitments ever disclosed and a fresh sign that the AI-driven data-center power buildout is stretching the utility-scale storage market.
206 GWh Across 2027-2031, With 16 GWh Locked For Next Year
The framework was announced on September 18 by Hubei EVE Power, EVE Energy's storage-cell subsidiary, and covers deliveries between 2027 and 2031. Sixteen gigawatt-hours are already committed for 2027, with the remaining 190 GWh held as reserved capacity that individual purchase orders will convert into firm shipments across 2028-2031. Final pricing and specifications will be set in follow-on POs, EVE said in a filing on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
The deal follows an earlier round of joint work between the two companies and, EVE said, reflects "recognition of its battery product performance and supply qualification." Analysts flagged the volume as a leading indicator of 2027 U.S. BESS demand: 16 GWh alone is roughly a third of the record 24 GWh of new utility-scale battery capacity that U.S. developers are currently planning to add in 2026, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Cells Feed The Gridstack Pro And Sunstack Blocks
Fluence will slot the EVE cells into its Gridstack Pro and Sunstack integrated storage products, both of which use large-format prismatic LFP cells in an AC-block architecture. EVE's LF560K 560 Ah cell is the current workhorse for grid-scale customers, while its 628 Ah Mr.Big platform is being ramped to push single-container energy past 6 MWh. Together the cells give Fluence a second high-capacity Chinese source alongside its existing suppliers, at a time when U.S. integrators are hedging against tariffs, IRA content thresholds and constrained CATL supply.
AI Data Centers Redraw The Storage Order Book
The scale of the EVE-Fluence deal reflects how quickly hyperscaler compute expansion is reshaping the storage pipeline. Backup batteries paired with solar, wind and gas turbines are now core to the multi-gigawatt data-center campuses being lined up by Oracle, RWE and others, and hyperscalers are locking in giga-scale supply years in advance. Just this week Sungrow signed a 1.6 GWh German BESS framework with be.storaged, and BYD unveiled its 62 MWh GC Block for gigawatt-scale plants, underscoring the shift toward multi-year, giga-scale offtake contracts.
Signals For 2027 Storage Pricing
The EVE framework leaves per-kWh economics undisclosed, but the sheer volume — larger than the entire annual output of many top-10 battery makers — is likely to anchor U.S. and European storage pricing well into the second half of the decade. It also strengthens the case that Fluence, which recently reported 98.7% fleet availability verified by DNV, can keep pace with 2027 project pipelines from utilities and IPPs across North America, Europe and Australia.
Reporting based on coverage from ESS News, pv magazine and EnergyTrend.