Talga Group Ltd (TLG:ASX) has confirmed the maiden production of its flagship Li-ion battery anode during commissioning of its EVA qualification plant in Luleå, Sweden.
The EVA facility is understood to be Europe’s first Li-ion battery anode plant. The maiden production of Talnode-C, as part of kiln commissioning, represents a significant step for Talga and the emerging green European battery industry. Talnode-C has the lowest CO2-eq profile in the world for coated anode.
Following the completion of plant commissioning, Talnode-C will be shipped to battery cell makers to undergo next stage commercial testing. To date, Talga has received engagements from 23 battery manufacturers and major automotive OEMs for Talnode-C produced at the EVA plant.
Managing Director, Mark Thompson, said large scale commercial testing is a critical stage in the EV customer procurement process for active anode material to enable qualification and long-term purchase contracts to be executed. The EVA plant is integral to the scale up of Talga’s vertically integrated mine-to-anode business and provides the Company with a unique advantage in the fast-growing European Li-ion battery supply chain.
It is significant to be the first to produce Li-ion battery anode in Europe, and to have done it using our in- house graphite mining, processing, and coating technologies is a testimony to the hard work of our team, Swerim, and the support of our shareholders and stakeholders,” Mr Thompson said.
“With Talnode-C demonstrated to be the lowest emission anode in the world, I strongly believe it holds the best promise for local, greener batteries to be produced for the major shift to electrification now underway.”
The EVA plant will utilise the company’s proprietary production process, including Talga’s own coating system developed through prior validation processes with automotive OEM customers, to produce Talnode-C at larger quantities requested by battery cell manufacturers.
The large-scale samples are being committed at prices above DFS pricing projections as part of tailored customer testing programmes already underway. Receipts from the sale of large-scale samples under these customer testing programmes are not expected to be material at this stage. EVA plant commissioning is progressing on time and within budget, with full commissioning scheduled for completion late March and official opening of the plant occurring early April 2022.
