UK’S £130 MILLION BATTERY INDUSTRIALISATION CENTRE UP AND RUNNING IN COVENTRY

The £130 million UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) was officially opened late last year by the prime minister.

The 18,500 sq metre national facility has been developed to support development of battery technologies for future electrification.

UKBIC can be used by any organisation working on batteries for electric vehicles, rail, aerospace, industrial and domestic equipment and static energy storage, which can benefit from finding out whether their advanced technologies can be scaled up successfully before committing to the huge investment required for mass production. The facility employs more than 80 battery technicians, engineers, and support staff, with plans for that number to grow.

The facility is owned by Coventry City Council and the University of Warwick in order to maintain its independence of any one vehicle or battery company.

David Greenwood, Professor of Advanced Propulsion Systems at WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group), University of Warwick, said: “This national infrastructure exists nowhere else in Europe, and gives the UK a major advantage for development of new battery technologies.”

Until now, smaller manufacturing companies have missed out on the productivity benefits of digital technologies and data-driven solutions.

Too many manufacturers don’t know where to start, and lack the skills required to deploy and use digital solutions. The costs are perceived to be high and the return on investment unclear.

UKBIC is a key part of the Faraday Battery Challenge, a government programme to fast track the development of cost-effective, high-performance, durable, safe, low-weight and recyclable batteries.

In addition to funding from the Faraday Battery Challenge, UKBIC is also part-funded through the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Europe’s largest battery storage project, the 100-megawatt system in Minety near Swindon, is now fully operational. Developed by Penso Power and controlled by Shell-owned Limejump, the battery is helping to balance the UK’s electricity demand, with the capacity to provide electricity for up to 10,000 homes in a 24-hour period before being recharged.

The Minety scheme is now the largest battery within National Grid ESO’s Dynamic Containment market, which was set up last year to deal with sudden frequency issues through grid balancing.

In October, Penso Power announced that it had secured major investment to accelerate the development of further large-scale battery storage in the UK.

Slicker develops battery recycling partnership

Waste management company Slicker Recycling is working with Technology Minerals, to drive the recycling of leadacid and lithium-ion batteries.

Worcestershire-based Slicker, which specialises in the recycling and treatment of waste lubricating oils from the automotive sector, has agreed the deal to help develop a circular economy model for the UK battery market.

Slicker Recycling will salvage battery waste from sites across the UK and transport the materials to plants owned and operated by battery recycling firm Recyclus, which is part-owned by Technology Minerals.

Key materials from the batteries, which include cobalt, nickel and lithium, are safely recycled, tested and fed back into the battery market for reuse.

Mark Olpin, Managing Director of Slicker Recycling, said: “The raw materials extracted from the used batteries we collect as part of this partnership will go straight back into an industry where there are pressures on resources.”

Global competition puts paid to Johnson Matthey battery investment

West Midlands gigafactory proposal gets backing from more regional leaders

Leaders in the West Midlands have backed plans to build a gigafactory next to Coventry Airport and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC).

Dr Clive Hickman, the leader of the Manufacturing Technology Centre, and Margot James, the executive chair at WMG, University of Warwick made the case for a new battery technology gigafactory which they said would support the heart of the UK’s auto industry.

They said the West Midlands is uniquely placed to host this vital manufacturing infrastructure, which will help ensure that the UK is able to successfully transition to electric vehicles and ultimately meet its net-zero goals by 2050.

A planning application for a gigafactory at Coventry Airport has been submitted by joint venture partners, Coventry City Council and the airport, which is owned by The Rigby Group, a private company headquartered in Warwickshire.

The proposals are set to be determined by Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council.

If it gets the go-ahead, the gigafactory would deliver 5.7 million sq ft of space for battery production and recycling, create 6,000 new jobs with tens of thousands more in the supply chain, the proposals say.

The proposals also set out that the gigafactory would be powered by green energy, using solar and wind power, as well as grid supplied renewables, and will recycle used batteries as well as build new ones.

Conrad Energy signs 104 mega watt battery energy storage order with GE Renewable Energy

Abingdon-based Conrad Energy has signed a major framework agreement with GE Renewable Energy for the design, manufacture and supply of GE’s battery energy storage system in the UK.

Steven Hardman, Conrad Energy’s Managing Director, said: “Battery storage systems are starting to play an increasingly important role in enabling the proliferation of green energy across the UK. Their ability to not only store energy but provide grid stability products such as frequency support, contribute to ongoing energy security as the UK creates a future fit power infrastructure.”

Conrad Energy is a full-service independent power producer delivering power to the National Grid and commercial customers.

The equipment will be deployed on several of Conrad Energy’s portfolio sites from Blackpool to Basingstoke. Deliveries will begin in mid-2022 with all projects targeted to be operational by the end of 2022.

Johnson Matthey, the British chemical company which makes catalytic converters to reduce car exhaust fumes, made the surprise announcement last year that it was stopping its investment in battery materials and had put this part of its business up for sale.

The company – which has been working to commercialise its range of high nickel cathode materials, principally for the automotive industry, said: “Following a detailed review and ahead of reaching a number of critical investment milestones, we have concluded that the potential returns from our battery materials business will not be adequate to justify further investment.

“Whilst demand for battery materials is accelerating, so is competition from alternative technologies and other manufacturers. Consequently, this is rapidly turning into a high volume, commoditised market.

“In recent months, as JM has been exploring strategic partnerships, it has also become clear that our capital intensity is too high compared with other more established largescale, low-cost producers.”

Johnson Matthey was referring to Asian companies which are much further ahead in the battery materials sector.

Only last summer, the company opened a Battery Technology Centre at Milton Park in Oxfordshire for the commercialisation of eLNO, its next generation, ultra-high energy density low cobalt cathode battery material.

The company, which set up its battery division in 2012, had hoped that investing in battery technology for electric vehicles could replace its reliance on catalytic converters.