basf

BASF breaks ground on second plant as it positions itself as Europe’s key lithium-ion cathode supplier

Chemical firm BASF has broken ground on its cathode active materials production plant in Schwarzheide, Germany, less than a year after announcing the project.

The plant is scheduled to start making enough materials for 400,000 full electric vehicles per year in 2022 as part of BASF’s investment plan in the European battery materials market.

Lithium-ion

basf

cathode active materials

Schwarzheide

germany

EV and lithium-ion battery OEMs launch artisanal cobalt mining project in DRC

Training of artisanal miners has begun in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of a cross-industry initiative to develop an independent, ethical and sustainable cobalt supply for the lithium-ion battery industry.

Training of twelve artisanal mining cooperatives involving more than 1,500 miners in Kolwezi, DRC, begun last month as part of the ‘Cobalt for Development’ initiative launched by vehicle OEM BMW and lithium-ion battery makers Samsung and BASF.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

cobalt

Lithium-ion

battery

MOU paves way for sodium-sulfur battery use in green hydrogen projects in Korea

A subsidiary of German chemical company BASF will supply sodium-sulfur batteries to Korean power-to-gas (P2G) company G-Philos after the pair signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 10 September.

Wholly owned subsidiary BASF New Business (BNB) will supply a total of 19.2MWh of sodium-sulfur(NaS) batteries to G-Philos for P2G projects in Korea.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

German start-up partners with BASF to commercialise redox flow battery ESSs

Redox flow battery firm JenaBatteries is cooperating with BASF to develop an electrolyte that can be used in grid-scale energy storage systems.

The German firms announced on 6 February they would produce an electrolyte that is suitable for use in a large-scale system for storing renewable energy.

energy storage systems.

BASF announces second European lithium-ion battery materials plant

Chemicals firm BASF has confirmed the location of its new battery materials production site in Germany as it steps up investment into the European electric vehicle (EV) value chain.

The state-of-the art plant in Schwarzheide will initially produce enough cathode active materials (CAM) for around 400,000 full electric vehicles per year, says the German conglomerate.

electric vehicle (EV)

BASF inks sodium-sulfur sales deal with NGK Insulators

German chemicals group BASF is expanding its presence in the energy sector, after agreeing to sell lithium-ion and sodium sulfur (NaS) batteries developed by Japan’s NGK Insulators.

BASF New Business (BNB)— a subsidiary of the chemicals group— said on 11 June it had signed a non-exclusive rights agreement to sell NaS batteries through BASF’s international network.

basf

NGK Insulators

BASF New Business

sodium sulfur (NaS) batteries

companies

sustainability

energy storage systems

chemistries

ESS eyes African power market for all-iron flow batteries

All-iron flow battery system manufacturer Energy Storage Systems (ESS) has outlined plans to expand into the African market, targeting microgrid and utility-scale projects.

Oregon-based ESS has become the first flow battery manufacturer to join the US-backed Power Africa programme, which works with governments, agencies and private companies to develop power-generating infrastructure in electricity-starved sub-Saharan Africa.

ESS

Power Africa

sub-Saharan Africa

all-iron flow battery

LG Chem, Ford in blockchain pilot to trace ‘ethical’ battery materials

Tech giant IBM has teamed up with battery maker LG Chem, the Ford Motor Company and others to use blockchain technology “to trace and validate ethically-sourced materials” for batteries and other products.

The group, which includes Chinese mining firm Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and auditing specialist RCS Global, is starting with a pilot focused on cobalt sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The move comes amid increasing pressure on electric vehicle producers and their battery suppliers to ensure an ethical approach for procuring raw materials— and hot on the heels of another ‘sustainable cobalt’ initiative launched by South Korea’s Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics, Germany’s BMW and chemicals group BASF.

Zheijang Huayou Cobalt

Korean-German partners launch ‘sustainable cobalt’ project in DRC

South Korean firms Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics are teaming up with German car giant BMW and chemicals group BASF for a joint pilot cobalt mining project to “enhance sustainable mining” for batteries production.

The companies have signed a contract with the German overseas development support agency— Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)— to launch the pilot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Democratic Republic of the Congo

BASF to build battery materials plant in Finland

German chemical company BASF is to build a battery materials production plant— its first serving the European automotive market— in Harjavalta, Finland.

The plant will be built adjacent to a nickel and cobalt refinery owned by Russian mining firm Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel), as part of BASF’s €400 million (US$456.2m) multi-step investment plan to supply European battery cell manufacturers with regionally-manufactured cathode materials.