Doubly good news on local battery manufacture

Two potential Australian manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries have announced important steps forward in their local plans, with one supported by the Advanced Manufacturing growth centre.

AMGC announced co-funding for Energy Renaissance which aims to become Australia’s first utility-scale Li-ion battery manufacturer on the same day Magnis Energy Technologies secured new development partners for its project in Townsville.

Magnis, which is planning to manufacture fast charging batteries in Townsville and New York, announced new partners for the battery development.

Magnis’ battery partner CV4 has received US$350,000 from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and BAE Systems to demonstrate its fast-charging batteries for public transit.

CV4 will produce batteries for testing on a BAE Systems bus platform..

Power provider Consolidated Edison and BC Transit will also be involved in the development.

Meanwhile Energy Renaissance will use $246,625 in AMGC funding to accelerate R&D along with CSIRO, Cadenza Innovation and Wuxi LEAD on its battery energy storage systems.

The grant will also be used to design an automated production line using robotics and automated quality control systems to increase efficiencies across Energy Renaissance’s manufacturing facility.

Managing Director of Energy Renaissance Mark Chilcote said: “Energy Renaissance will advance local battery manufacturing capabilities, create jobs in Australia and build significant economic benefits for our lithium-ion battery materials industry through a local supply chain.”

When Energy Renaissance’s manufacturing facility operates at full capacity, it is expected to employ up to 1,300 workers with 60 percent of its batteries produced exported.

AMGC’s Managing Director, Dr Jens Goennemann said: “Energy Renaissance’s hot-climate battery technology has numerous applications across multiple sectors including energy, defence, commercial and industrial – both domestically and abroad.

“They are an example of how Australia’s advanced manufacturing industry is developing world-leading solutions.”

The location for Energy Renaissance’s first manufacturing facility in Australia will be announced in the second half of 2020.

However in February it named Darwin as the likely site.

Magnis has already completed engineering work and lodged its feasibility study with the Queensland government for the $2 billion, 18GWh lithium-ion battery cell gigafactory in Townsville.

Picture: Energy Renaissance

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