Talga brings ABB into European battery manufacturing facility as well as mine project

• Talga Group and ABB have authorized a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of an anode development project in Sweden.

Talga Group and ABB have authorized a Memorandum of Understanding for the growth of an anode growth project in Sweden.

The Vittangi Anode Project, begun by battery element producer Talga, would produce a graphite mine in north Sweden. Integrated with this, an anode manufacturing plant would certainly produce components for lithium-ion batteries.

From 2023, the developers want to create 19,000 lots of anodes per year from their facility 15km from the town of Vittangi. In a statement, an ABB agent claimed the site was, "most importantly, close to emerging European battery gigafactories currently under advancement".

Earlier this year, the European Investment Bank loaned $350m to Northvolt to establish a 32GWh lithium-ion battery gigafactory in north Sweden. The ABB/Talga plant would certainly additionally lie fairly near to the 32GWh Freyr battery factory in northern Norway.

While there go to the very least 20 various battery production plants announced within Europe, those utilizing graphite will likely count on imported resources. China generates the overwhelming majority of the world's graphite, complied with by countries such as Brazil, Canada, and also India.

The firms' declaration claims that Sweden has 'considerable' books it can use. The project aims to satisfy "a proportion of the extra demand" from future battery use.

Talga and also ABB aim to become top European anode resource

The project will use renewably-generated power. Talga completed a pre-feasibility study for the project in May 2019, and it will certainly finish a much more in-depth study in the first quarter of 2021. Building would after that begin with 2022.

Talga made the announcement as part of an occasion with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, looking at battery supply chains. In his presentation, Talga managing director Mark Thompson said the initial Vittangi project would require $174m in capital investment. From 2025, the business might look to create a development mine, requiring $1.2 bn of expense consisting of backup.

ABB North Europe division supervisor for process markets Björn Jonsson stated: "Supporting the growth of Talga's Vittangi Anode Project offers us with a possibility to use our industrial automation as well as wise electrification innovations, applied towards building of essential operations for the arising European battery supply chain."

In November, state-owned Swedish mining group Luossavaara-Kiirrunavaraa Aktiebolag performed a non-binding letter to establish the site's mine.