The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 25 projects across 14 states to potentially receive more than $3bn to build out domestic supply of batteries, their components and critical materials including lithium, manganese and graphite.
The proposed recipients will "retrofit, expand and build" manufacturing and recycling facilities across the US, targeting different stages of the battery production supply chain, the DOE said on Thursday. Projects include those for advancing direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, producing cathode active material (CAM) and developing components for battery separators.
More than $1bn is planned for five projects, with Standard Lithium and Equinor's SWA Lithium joint venture and TerraVolta Resources each possibly getting $225mn for their DLE undertakings.
Cirba Solutions and Group14 Technologies were next with $200mn for the former's lithium-ion battery recycling centre and the latter's silane manufacturing plant, while EnergySys Advanced Systems could receive $199mn for its site, where it intends to produce battery cells.
The funding, which will be administered by the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), is being made available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Final award totals are contingent on negotiations between applicants and the DOE, along with environmental reviews of each proposed project.
The DOE already dispersed more than $1.8bn for 14 projects in October 2022 during the first round of awards funding under the MESC's battery materials processing and battery manufacturing and recycling programmes.
| List of selected projects | ||||
| Company name | Project location | Proposed funding amount | Targeted output | Proposed production capacity |
| SWA Lithium LLC | Lewisville, AR | $225,000,000 | Lithium carbonate | 45,000t |
| TerraVolta Resources | Texarkana region | $225,000,000 | Lithium carbonate | 25,000t |
| Cirba Solutions | Columbia, SC | $200,000,000 | Metal salts from recycled batteries | 60,000t of batteries |
| Group14 Technologies | Moses Lake, WA | $200,000,000 | Silane gas | N/A |
| EnerSys Advanced Systems | Piedmont, SC | $198,679,760 | Lithium-ion battery cells | 5 GW/h |
| South32 Hermosa | Patagonia, AZ | $166,175,802 | Manganese sulfate monohydrate | 185,000t |
| Element 25 (Louisiana) | Baton Rouge, LA | $166,128,094 | Manganese sulfate monohydrate | 65,000t |
| SKI US | Orangeburg, SC | $150,000,000 | Synthetic graphite | 25,000t |
| Form Energy | Weirton, WV | $150,000,000 | Iron-air batteries | 20GWh |
| Clarios Circular Solutions | Florence, SC | $150,000,000 | CAM from recycled batteries | 20,000t |
| American Battery Technology | South Carolina | $150,000,000 | Battery materials from recycled batteries | 100,000t |
| Revex Technologies | Champion MI; Gwinn, MI | $145,000,000 | Nickel concentrate black mass from spent batteries | 21,250t 16,000t |
| Honeywell International | Geismar, LA | $126,586,497 | Lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide | N/A |
| Ascend Elements | Hopkinsville, KY | $125,000,000 | Recycled graphite | N/A |
| Urbix | Muscle Shoals, AL | $124,638,300 | Coated spherical purified graphite | 10,000t |
| DOW Chemical | US Gulf Coast | $100,000,000 | Carbonate solvents | N/A |
| Forge Battery | Morrisville, NC | $100,000,000 | Lithium-ion battery cells | 3GWh |
| Mitra Future Technologies | Muskegon, MI | $100,000,000 | Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) CAM | 30,000t |
| Albemarle US | Charlotte, NC | $67,075,044 | Lithium metal anode material | 50t |
| NanoGraf | Flint, MI | $60,000,000 | Silicon monoxide anode material | 2,500t |
| Li Industries | Kettering, OH | $55,243,798 | LFP CAM | 10,000t |
| Blue Whale Materials | Bartlesville, OK | $55,232,669 | Black mass from recycled batteries | 50,000t |
| Braskem America | La Porte, TX | $50,000,000 | Ultra-high molecularweight polethylene | N/A |
| Cabot | Van Buren Township, MI | $50,000,000 | Carbon nanotubes Conductive additive dispersions | 1,000t 12,000t |
| Solid Power Operating | Thornton, Co | $50,000,000 | Sulfide-based solid electrolyte | N/A |
| — US Department of Energy | ||||
