AMTE Power plc (LON:AMTE), a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, has today announced a joint venture agreement with InfraNomics Technologies Pty Ltd and advanced plans to build a 200,000 cell micro production line in Australia’s Lithium Valley.
The 50:50 joint venture will operate through Bardan Cells Ltd and be based in Kwinana, Western Australia. InfraNomics, which focuses on energy technologies and services, is responsible for capital fund raising, providing local expertise, establishing local sovereign supply chains and supporting the development of Bardan. AMTE Power will provide Bardan with the licenced technology and manufacturing expertise to build cells for use in energy storage systems.
In 2018, AMTE and InfraNomics, recognised the commercial opportunity to become a leader in Australia’s battery cell manufacturing sector and began a collaboration which has resulted in the formalisation of the joint venture being announced today. The joint venture marks the transition from feasibility study and detailed business plan to the construction of a micro production line. Bardan’s objectives are:
· To ultimately build a Gigafactory to manufacture Lithium ion battery cells capable of producing between 1-2GWh per annum for use in energy storage systems in Australia
· The business will operate from the “Lithium Valley” Kwinana Industrial Area, a major industrial area and a centre for Lithium related products, raw materials and local technical expertise.
· As a forerunner to the Gigafactory, a 200,000 battery cell micro production line will be built, to refine the manufacturing processes from AMTE’s Thurso plant, implement new technologies and develop local sovereign supply chains.
· Following a formal Expression of Interest process, the Kwinana Industrial Area south of Perth was identified as the preferred location for the micro factory and potentially the Gigafactory
· Bardan is proud to offer local and international customers robust, safe, premium performance products, developed using the most advanced manufacturing techniques available worldwide, for use in long term Net Zero Carbon power storage solutions.
Kevin Brundish, Chief Executive Officer of AMTE Power, said:
“The more our cells are in production, whether that be in the UK or Australia, all adds to the commercial appeal of our portfolio of cells. Bardan is attractive as a stand alone investment proposition for us, given the anticipated demand in Australia for energy storage solutions, but at the same time, Bardan is attractive as a further test platform for our technologies and will be particularly useful additional experience and proof to investors and customers of our capabilities as we pursue the development of our UK based Gigafactory. For Bardan, there is no doubt the combination of our licensed technology and knowledge of battery cell manufacturing at scale is an excellent fit with InfraNomics’ capital raising capabilities, local market and supply chain knowledge. We believe Bardan can play a significant role in Australia’s future cell production supply line.”
Cameron Edwards, Director and Founder at InfraNomics commented,
“The relationship with AMTE provides Bardan and its customers the advanced technological expertise required to make world-class products suitable for extreme environments. The global transformation of energy is one of the largest growth markets in the world and we are delighted to be playing a role in reshoring manufacturing in the Australian energy sector and creating an essential piece in the critical raw materials value chain.”
