// WA will host a national consortium to position Australia as a global leader in the manufacture and supply of batteries.
Fresh from the announcement that the world’s largest micro power grid will be built in WA, comes the news that our State is looking to ‘go downstream’ by moving into battery production.
Federal Minister for Industry Science and Technology Karen Andrews announced in April that the Future Batteries Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) will be led by Curtin University in collaboration with 58 industry, government and research partners.
Curtin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Chris Moran said this announcement should ensures Australia can take advantage of the opportunities presented by the rising demand for battery storage.
“The Future Battery Industries CRC will address the existing gaps in the nation’s capacity to respond to this growth industry by creating opportunities to process, manufacture and deploy batteries, delivering an estimated $2.5 billion benefit to the Australian economy over the next 15 years,” he said.
“This national consortium will also offer evidence-based advice to inform the development of government policies, rules and regulations to help guide the rapid transformation of energy systems driven by expansion of renewables all over the world.”
Future Battery Industries CRC Chair Tim Shanahan said the consortium had a six year plan to address industry identified gaps in the battery industries value chain.
“The Future Battery Industries CRC will investigate opportunities for greater efficiencies in the extraction and refinement of battery minerals, including facilitating the steps beyond mining and concentrate production to cathode production and the manufacture and testing of battery components and systems.
“Given Australia’s abundant resources of battery minerals and world-class resources sector, the potential to promote the nation’s premium-quality, ethically sourced and safe battery minerals and metals through forensic-accredited and traceable sources will also be investigated, paving the way for Australia to position itself as a global leader in the international battery value chain,” he said.
“The national consortium of 58 industry, academic and government partners aims to co-create the tools and technologies needed to ensure Australia is leading the way in the battery revolution from mining and processing to manufacture and deployment in households, communities and industry, and in the recycling of batteries.”
Tim Shanahan
After a commitment of $28 million from industry, government and research partners, the Australian Government dedicated $25 million to support the development of the Future Battery Industries CRC. The Western Australian State Government also provided $6 million in provisional funding towards the establishment.
For more information about the Future Battery Industries CRC, visit here.
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MAIN IMAGE: An example of an Electric Vehicle
