Statevolt acquires site for US battery gigafactory
Statevolt, the sister company to Italvolt in Italy, has acquired a site for a 54GWh battery gigafactory supported by European equipment providers.
The 135-acre site in Imperial Valley, California, is close to the Salton Sea, which has enough lithium to meet the United States’ projected demand, as well as an expected 40% of global demand. Statevolt has already partnered with Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR), which will supply locally sourced lithium, and geothermal power from their Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power plant.
The business, currently run by the CEO of Italvolt, Lars Carlstrom, will make lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage applications using resources and supply chains sourced entirely in the US.
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At full operating capacity, the Gigafactory will be one of the largest in North America, with capacity to produce batteries for 650,000 electric vehicles a year. The company aims to benefit from the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that is funding battery plants among other infrastructure projects.
Battery incentives
Incentives for battery cell production outlined by the IRA will enable Statevolt to accelerate its development plans and support the US ambitions to take a leading position in global battery manufacturing says the company, although there are the lessons from the collapse of Britishvolt when relying on government support.
It has signed up consultancy AECOM and is expected to sign up Swiss manufacturing equipment provider ABB for the factory using the same plan as the Italvolt site in northern Italy. An announcement on technology partnership with a US company is expected shortly.
The company is also promoting a ‘hyper-local business model’, aiming to create direct employment for up to 2,500 people in the Imperial Valley community with local lithium processing.
“We have worked hard to find a suitable location to accommodate our vision and keep us near to our partners,” said Lars Carlstrom, founder and CEO of Statevolt and CEO of Italvolt.
“At the centre of our plans to develop the Statevolt Gigafactory is our commitment to building a technology agnostic facility able to accommodate future developments in cell technology and generation changes, providing us with greater flexibility over our project partners.
“The Inflation Reduction Act has opened up new opportunities and incentives for strategic sectors like ours, helping the U.S. establish itself as the global leader in clean energy solutions. Statevolt is developing a hyper-local business model that will ensure its batteries are sourced and manufactured in a way that will support the Biden Administration’s ambition for clean growth and well-paid, high-quality jobs.”
Audits
Since announcing the launch of the project in April, and with the assistance of Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation (IVEDC), the Statevolt team has undertaken audits of potential sites that will meet its various criteria and be in close proximity to its various project partners.
“We are delighted to see Statevolt secure land in Imperial County for the development of a significant battery manufacturing operation in the region,” said Rod Colwell, CEO of Controlled Thermal Resources. “Statevolt’s vision and commitment to source clean electricity and lithium from CTR to power their operations will set new sustainability benchmarks for industry and will provide an environmental leadership model for the U.S. lithium-ion battery supply chain.”
www.statevolt.com; www.cthermal.com
