Australian battery anode company Talga Group and Switzerland technology firm ABB are set to develop and construct a lithium-ion battery anode production facility in Sweden.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the firms will see Talga’s Vittangi Anode Project built in northern Sweden.
Talga managing director Mark Thompson said the firms plan to build Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery anode production facility for more sustainable batteries.
The anode refinery is expected to begin production in 2023.
A Talga spokesman told BEST: “We are in the first instance looking to construct a 19,000 tonnes per annum capacity anode refinery, with an integrated mining operation. Plans to expand future capacity via development of additional Talga owned graphite resources is being scoped under a scoping study that is due imminently.
“The port of Luleå, a coastal city south of the planned mining operation, was chosen as the proposed location for the anode refinery in a pre-feasibility study completed in May 2019. Sweden is a low sovereign risk mining and investment jurisdiction, and proximate to emerging European battery gigafactories.
“The planned vertically integrated graphite mining and anode refinery operation would benefit from the region’s abundant availability of low cost, green electricity for production of Talga’s low CO2 battery anode, Talnode®-C.”
Under the MoU, ABB will supply a suite of production control and process solutions for Talga’s integrated lithium-ion battery anode operations.
In addition, the companies will work with their partners to provide engineering support for the Vittangi Anode Project Definitive Feasibility Study, due for completion March 2021, with the intent to execute binding agreements for construction and operations in future.