The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a $30m (A$47m) conditional funding commitment to VSPC, a subsidiary of Livium, aimed at enhancing lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cathode production.
This investment is set to support the construction of a new 250 tonnes per annum (tpa) demonstration facility, potentially located near VSPC’s current Brisbane operations.
As part of this initiative, VSPC will supply samples of cathode powder to prospective offtake partners and investors, aiming to secure key customers for a future commercial facility.
The project is poised to advance cathode powder manufacturing for Li-ion batteries, promising cost savings, quality enhancements, waste reduction and diversification of the global battery supply chain.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller underscored the importance of battery technology in the clean energy transition, advocating for innovations that enhance efficiency, affordability and environmental sustainability.
“This project represents a potential breakthrough in cathode powder technology. If the project is successful, it could help catalyse competitive manufacturing of cathode powders and help diversify supply chains,” Miller stated.
Miller further highlighted the potential for Australia to become a front-runner in advanced battery manufacturing, contributing to global supply chains and fostering new economic opportunities in renewable energy.
VSPC’s innovative process merges the benefits of solid-state and solution-phase synthesis, yielding high-quality lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) and lithium manganese ferro phosphate (LMFP) powders with enhanced control over their properties and quality.
This enhances the process’s flexibility for various battery cell technologies.
Livium managing director and CEO Simon Linge said: “The grant from ARENA represents a significant step forward for our battery materials commercialisation. This grant, which follows an extensive process, is expected to facilitate further strategic private capital to complete funding for the project.”
He emphasised the project’s goal to leverage patented technology and enhance diversified LFP supply chains, aiming to improve access to high-quality cathode materials.
Last month, Livium and Mineral Resources advanced their plans to commercialise the LieNA technology following the completion of stage one activities, which encompassed running a pilot plant and conducting an engineering study for a demonstration plant.
