Europe at the crossroads in mapping out energy future

Delegates to this year’s event heard from various speakers how Europe’s potential position as a major player in energy storage was at a critical juncture.

Mike Blakeney, head of government and public affairs at the Cobalt Institute, said the offer of $369 billion of tax credits from the US under this year’s Inflation Reduction Act was not being matched by anything comparable from the European Union.

“At the moment what’s on offer from us stands at about $3 billion,” he said. He warned that the next

18 months would be critical in persuading investors to come into Europe and that it was time to “unlock private capital… we need to incentivize investors through initiatives looking at insurance terms, export credits and guarantees, contracts for difference and more,” he said.

The theme was taken up by Luis Marquina, head of AEPIBAL, the Spanish energy storage association, who reckoned that European political, business and technical involvement needed to step up a gear.

“Now is the time for leadership in our industry,” he said. “And if it doesn’t come now, it’ll be too late. China already is at the forefront of innovation, we cannot be left behind.”

William Adams, head of battery and base metals research at Fastmarkets, said the question whether Europe had enough battery raw materials was complicated by the fact that Europe, China and the US will all rely on resources from the rest of the world. Competition between nations, businesses and industry sectors for supply will be a limiting factor in the near future.

He saw, however, the overall picture for European supply as improving over time. “In the future Europe will need to rely on imported concentrate for lithium,” he said.

“But it need not rely on imported processed material. Europe will see its mine supply grow and its processing capacity can grow at a faster pace, but it will rely on imports of raw materials or intermediates.

“In time, it can substitute mine supply with recycled material/battery scrap as the volume of end of life batteries picks up leading to a more circular economy.”

In his speech to delegates, EUROBAT president and CEO of Hoppecke Batterien, Marc Zoellner, emphasised the significance of Spain and the battery industry.

He said the battery sector played a crucial role in the country’s industrial landscape, contributing significantly to its economy and the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ objectives.

“Spain aims to become a leading player in battery manufacturing, driving the country’s competitiveness in the global clean energy market and positioning itself at the forefront of the energy transition.”

Meanwhile, there was a changing of the guard for EUROBAT as general manager Alfons Westgeest announced he was stepping down and Gert Meylemans, previously director of communications, would be taking over.

Westgeest had in fact tried to retire four years ago but came back, much to the industry’s delight. He continued to be a central figure in the Brussels-based group since his involvement in 2002 and is arguably the key creator of the present trade organization.

He is a well-known and well-liked figure in all sections of the European energy storage industry and said he had enjoyed his time with EUROBAT.

“It’s not just been fun to build up and strengthen the organization but we have achieved real success in helping influence the direction of battery regulation across the EU.”

Marc Zoellner, president of EUROBAT and CEO of Hoppecke Batteries, in a touching speech at the conference dinner, paid tribute to Westgeest’s relentless commitment to building up EUROBAT and its members.

“I will truly miss him and thank him for the wonderful work he has done,” he said.

Meylemans, who joined EUROBAT in August 2018, said he had a very tough act to follow but “hoped to continue to build on the great work Alfons has done”.

EUROBAT is a non-profit association under Belgian law and is staffed by association management company Kellen. Westgeest became Kellen Europe’s board member for global development in 2022.

Before EUROBAT, Westgeest was the founder and managing partner of Ernst & Young’s association management practice in 1988 in Brussels. He joined EY in 1981 and left the firm in 2004.

The next meetings will be held on June 4-5, 2024 in Brussels.

New Board Members

Lampros Bisalas, CEO of Sunlight Group Energy Storage Systems, and Fujio Owa, CEO of Fiamm Energy Technology, were appointed new members of the EUROBAT Board at the general assembly as Alfons Westgeest stepped down as general manager and Gert Meylemans took over.

EUROBAT said in a statement:

“We look forward to working with both gentlemen and to leverage their valuable experience to drive innovation, contribute technical expertise to the EU policy-making process and help craft a positive and consistent regulatory framework for the battery industry in the EU and beyond.”

The existing board members are: Andreas Bawart (Banner), CharlesLouis Ackermann (Accumalux), Dave Shaffer (EnerSys), Christian Rosenkranz (Clarios), Filippo Girardi (Midac), Frank Cecchi (Saft), Graeme Fraser-Bell (Entek), Marc Zoellner (Hoppecke) and Stefan Stübing (Exide).

PB2023

Athens, June 21-23, 2023