Vianode, established as a fully owned subsidiary of Elkem ASA, has successfully operationalized its industrial pilot in Kristiansand, Norway. To enable faster market entry of Vianode’s products, the company has entered into a lease agreement for an additional building at Herøya Industrial Park in Porsgrunn, Norway. As a result, Vianode is considering the increase and expansion of its battery materials production.
The initiative targets to shorten the time to production start and increase Vianode’s overall capacity at Herøya Industrial Park. The building is located next to the site where Vianode plans to establish the large-scale plant and is intended for a fast-track option that is being considered to address the “strong demand from customers” and to shorten the time to market. A fast-track plant will also represent a platform for further technology and process development.
“Our industrial pilot in Kristiansand, Norway is now operational with over 200 metric tons of annual capacity available for customer development with scaled-up equipment. At the same time, we see an acceleration in the market driving a need for larger volumes of industrially produced materials earlier than expected. Our objective for a fast-track plant is a response to this customer demand”, said Chris York, VP at Vianode.
The potential fast-track plant at Herøya can add an additional 5,000 metric tons of production capacity, bringing Vianode’s total production at Herøya to approximately 60,000 metric tons of synthetic graphite – equivalent to close to 1 million electric vehicles per year.
“Our ambition is to be able to deliver sustainably produced, high quality, active anode materials for the exponentially growing electric vehicle market starting from the end of 2022”, stated Stian Madshus, VP and General Manager Europe at Vianode.
Vianode produces materials for the creation of batteries used in electric vehicles. Image: Vianode.
In parallel, the Vianode organisation is growing and the company is looking to add additional talent for those who want to help “Empower a Greener Life”. Vianode is creating long-term solutions for active anode materials in support of the clean energy transition to energy storage for renewables and electric vehicles. Vianode’s advanced battery materials increase safety and reduce charging time in electric vehicles and other sophisticated energy storage applications.
“It is very positive that Vianode has signed an agreement to lease building 132. Vianode plans to start a fast-track plant and the building and infrastructure are excellent for the purpose. This lease agreement strengthens our belief in a decision to invest in large-scale industrial production at Herøya Industrial Park”, said CEO Sverre Gotaas, Herøya Industrial Park AS.
In addition to synthetic graphite materials, Vianode and Elkem continue to carry out advanced research on silicon-graphite composite materials for improved battery performance. Vianode is participating in the Hydra and 3beLiEVe research projects on next-generation lithium-ion batteries, coordinated by SINTEF and the Austrian Institute of Technology, respectively. Both projects have received funding from the EU Horizon programme. Vianode is also investing in R&D on the recycling of battery-grade graphite which is supported by the Norwegian Research Council.
Vianode has previously received grants from Innovation Norway related to the pilot plant and from Enova for planning the battery materials industrial plant.
You can find more information about Vianode and its plans for production increase on its website.
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