Domestic battery production: US increases funding

The Biden administration announces that it will allocate up to $3.5 billion (about 3.2 billion euros) from the National Infrastructure Act to “increase the domestic production of advanced batteries and battery products.” The fund is coordinated and administered by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC).

The funding round just announced is specifically intended to support “new, refurbished and expanded factories for the production of processed battery materials and their precursors, battery components and battery cells and packs”. Required concepts must be submitted by January 9, 2024, and complete applications by March 19, 2024.

Battery products, cells and packs are currently mainly manufactured overseas. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy says the funding also increases national security by reducing America’s dependence on critical minerals, battery materials, components and technologies. The focus is also on creating unionized jobs.

“Putting America at the forefront of meeting the growing demand for advanced batteries is one way to increase our global competitiveness, maintain and create good-paying jobs and strengthen our clean energy economy,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm concluded. Together. “President Biden’s historic investments give us the momentum to build an American-made, domestic battery supply chain.”

A second tranche of up to $3.5 billion is available for the region. As of October 2022, the government has already disbursed $2.8 billion to 20 companies following a funding call launched in February 2022. In return, they agreed to build or expand factories in twelve states. Among the acquirers are well-known battery companies Group14, Lilac Solutions and Sila Nanotechnologies, but also Piedmont Lithium and Albemarle.

energy.gov