MOU to progress battery-firming tech in Australia

Australian company Next-Gen Energy Technology has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Siemens to progress the development and manufacturing of innovative materials for battery-firming technology.

Supported by the MOU, Next-Gen plans to establish the first materials manufacturing plant outside of China to produce lithium NCA cathode materials, primarily used in electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems.

The agreement will build on Next-Gen’s specialisation in advanced ternary cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Siemens will contribute its expertise in digitalisation, automation and electrification to help scale up onshore production of this battery manufacturing technology, which should ultimately increase sovereign capability.

“It’s great to see a global technology leader like Siemens collaborate with us as we look to scale our innovative patented cathode materials production to support the energy transition,” said Andrew Cooper, CEO of Next-Gen.

“Our process will dramatically reduce the carbon footprint [that] current value-chain practices employ; however, tackling a problem like climate change can’t be done alone. Siemens is a trusted partner, and this is why we welcome the opportunity to work with Siemens and access their best-in-class automation and digital twin technologies,” Cooper said.

“We see that by onshoring manufacturing for the battery chain here in Australia, we can reduce the industry’s carbon footprint dramatically — particularly reducing scope three emissions which are part of net zero commitments.”

Cooper said Next-Gen’s lithium NCA solution would provide Australia with employment and export opportunities, and had already attracted both upstream and downstream global investment.

Darryl Kaufmann, Head of Digital Industries for Siemens in Australia and New Zealand, said technology and digitalisation are the key to increasing manufacturing complexity and sovereign capability while accelerating sustainability in Australia.

”The goal is to have a positive impact on local industry and on decarbonising the world — beyond the 1% of emissions we are responsible for,” he said.

“Being the largest automation and industrial software company in the world, we’re making our technology more accessible than ever so that companies like Next-Gen can bring their innovations to life through powerful tools such as digital twin. We’re proud to extend our support to organisations such as Next-Gen who are pushing the boundaries of local innovation, manufacturing and supply chain.”

The MOU follows agreements Next-Gen has made with various major Australian research organisations on battery firming technology.

Image caption: Andrew Cooper, CEO of Next-Gen, with Darryl Kaufmann, Head of Digital Industries for Siemens in Australia and New Zealand.