International players look to revive British battery gigafactory – pv magazine International

February 2, 2023 David Carroll

from Australia’s pv journal

Australia-based Recharge Industries is contemplating making a play to purchase failed battery startup Britishvolt from directors in a transfer that might revive plans to construct a GBP 3.8 billion ($4.71 billion) lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing plant within the Northumberland area of England.

Britishvolt plans to construct a lithium-ion battery cell gigafactory on a 93-acre website in Blyth in Northumberland that at full capability would be capable to produce sufficient cells for greater than 300,000 lithium-ion batteries in a single yr. These plans at the moment are in disarray, as Britishvolt appointed directors in January 2033, after operating out of capital. The challenge has been promised GBP 100 million in funding from the UK authorities, however that funding will solely be offered if work to construct the manufacturing facility reaches a key milestone that has but to be achieved.

It’s understood that greater than a dozen bidders have come ahead after the appointment of directors with potential patrons together with Indian conglomerate Tata and the Indonesia-linked fund Dea Lab. Britishvolt founder Orral Nadjari, who will step down as chief government in 2022, can be stated to be making ready a bid for the enterprise.

Australia’s Recharge Industries has already submitted a preliminary bid for the belongings and is now trying to progress that course of with directors EY reportedly pushing for the deal to shut by February 3, 2023.

A profitable supply would give Recharge Industries, owned by US-based funding agency Scale Facilitation, speedy scale within the rising battery power storage trade.

Recharge Industries Chief Govt Officer Rob Fitzpatrick stated The Guardian that if the supply goes forward, the operation will give the Australian firm better entry to Europe.

“Demand for lithium-ion battery storage continues to undergo the roof,” he stated.

Recharge Industries additionally plans to fabricate batteries for electrical autos and stationary power storage at a manufacturing facility to be inbuilt Geelong, south-west of Melbourne. The corporate’s said objective is to start out development by the top of the yr, concentrating on 2 GWh of manufacturing per yr in 2024 and 6 GWh in 2026. At full capability, the manufacturing facility will create as much as 30 GWh of storage capability per yr.