Australian businesses are a step closer to accessing world-leading battery manufacturing scale-up facilities, thanks to an agreement signed last week between the
UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) and
Powering Australia.
UKBIC is a £130 million national battery manufacturing scale-up facility based in Coventry, that was established by the UK Government through the
Faraday Battery Challenge to help companies bridge the gap between battery technology showing promise at laboratory scale and move them towards successful mass production.
The agreement is intended to strengthen collaboration in battery research, technology and innovation between Australia and the UK and aligns with the ‘Statement of Intent’ signed by the Albanese Government in April 2023. It is intended to promote collaboration on critical minerals, strengthen international supply chains, meet ‘net zero’ objectives, remove barriers to adoption of new technology and help create the jobs and the workforce of the future.
CEO Shannon O’Rourke said reaching the agreement with UKBIC is a key milestone for the five-month-old Powering Australia team whose work is helping to operationalise the inter-governmental agreement with tangible action and accelerate the development of Australia’s battery industry in partnership with other nations.
Clean-tech manufacturingHe added: “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with the UKBIC team, less than six months into our formation as Powering Australia, which is very much aligned to the Statement of Intent. Our organisation was established to help Australian businesses succeed in clean-tech manufacturing and being able to access world-scale common-user facilities like UKBIC is a major win.”
UKBIC’s facility covers 20,000m
2 and has extensive equipment covering battery production from mixing and coating, to calendering, slitting cylindrical and pouch cell assembly, and formation, ageing, testing, as well as module and pack assembly.
UKBIC managing director Sean Gilgunn said: “This is a great first step between the two organisations to encourage cooperation between the UK and Australia in battery technology. We are looking forward to helping Powering Australia with its vision, and, in the future, to welcoming Australian companies that want to use our ‘state of the art’ facilities.”
The two organisations will work together on strategic projects that offer mutual benefit and will engage in the exchange of skills and expertise to help both nations develop their respective battery industries further.