Elkem to establish battery graphite pilot plant in Kristiansand, Norway

2019-06-21

Jun. 21, 2019 - Elkem invests 65 million NOK in a pilot plant for battery graphite located at Elkem Carbon’s industrial site at Fiskå, Kristiansand. The aim of the pilot is to conclude process route and qualify products, as a basis for evaluating full-scale industrial production.

The lithium-ion battery market is expected to grow significantly the coming decade, driven by electrification of transportation and energy storage, and also other applications such as power tools, e-bikes and portable electronics. Graphite is the dominating anode material in lithium-ion battery cells and demand is expected to increase more than ten times from today’s annual level of 150,000-200,000 tonnes over the next ten years. Meeting this demand requires significant new production capacity.

“The forecast for 2030 assumes that anything between 22% to 30% of the new sale of vehicles will be electric, and there are strong growth projections for other segments requiring battery technology and capacity. There are significant growth opportunities for a specialised product with a green footprint. Through our global position as an advanced materials company leveraging leading research on future materials and access to hydro power for production we have a unique position”, says CEO of Elkem, Helge Aasen.

“It is a pleasure to announce that we are moving forward and investing in a pilot for battery graphite. The aim of the pilot is to conclude process route and qualify products. This is a natural step towards an industrial line for battery graphite in Norway, and we will get considerable synergies by establishing it at our plant in Kristiansand with our existing knowledge base and close cooperation with internationally leading research environments within material technology, says Senior Vice President Carbon, Inge Grubben-Strømnes.

The pilot has been granted funding from Innovation Norway supporting the establishment.