Vianode awarded EUR 30 million IPCEI grant to accelerate the development of Europe’s battery industry
Vianode, an advanced battery materials company providing sustainable anode graphite solutions, has been awarded a EUR 30 million grant from Innovation Norway under the IPCEI EUBatin program. The funding will support the development of the Herøya plant as part of the industrialization of a European low-carbon battery value chain.
The grant from Innovation Norway under the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program is designed to expedite green transition innovations to market at scale. Vianode’s customer qualification plant at Herøya, Norway is based on Vianode’s proprietary technology that sets a new industrial standard for sustainable production of anode graphite solutions. IPCEI is a transnational program to develop European cooperation and public-private partnerships with the possibility of exempting public support regulation, administered locally by Innovation Norway.
“Vianode is ambitiously aiming to enhance the sustainability of batteries and electric vehicles by creating a new benchmark for producing battery materials. The backing from IPCEI is crucial in reaching this goal. Solid and supportive regulatory frameworks are indispensable to build the required momentum for a lithium-ion battery ecosystem in Norway and Europe,” says Burkhard Straube, CEO of Vianode.
Vianode is targeting to produce high-performance anode graphite solutions for 3 million EVs annually by 2030 across Europe and North America. The company started small-scale production of synthetic anode graphite in 2021 and currently has operations at its pilot plant and technology center in Kristiansand, Norway. The Herøya plant is on track for start-up in the second half of 2024.
Anode graphite is the largest component of a lithium-ion battery in terms of weight, up to 70 kilos per battery cell, and a key element regardless of battery technology. Vianode’s solution contributes to a 90% reduction in CO2 footprint compared to conventional production, a 40% reduction in energy use and substantially reduced supplementary material consumption, local emissions, land use and water consumption.
IPCEI EUBatin is the second part of a two-stage IPCEI program seeking to drive industrialisation across the battery value chain. The battery IPCEI programs include public support of EUR 6 billion which is expected to trigger around EUR 14 billion in additional private investments.
Contact
Hans Iver Odenrud
Tel +47 958 16 230
Email [email protected]
About IPCEI
IPCEI is the abbreviation of “Important Project of Common European Interest“. It’s a transnational project with an important contribution to the growth, employment and competitiveness of the European Union industry and economy funded by state aid. A two-part IPCEI has been implemented to promote battery production: the IPCEI on Batteries and the IPCEI European Battery Innovation (EuBatIn). Both IPCEIs have in common that their participants represent the complete value chain, from material through the cells to the battery system and the final step of recycling. These IPCEIs include 59 companies in 12 Member States including up to EUR 6.1 billion state aid which is expected to trigger more than EUR 13.8 billion of additional private investment. IPCEI is coordinated by Germany and was set in motion in 2021.
About Vianode
Vianode is an advanced battery materials company providing sustainable anode graphite solutions for the battery and EV value chains in North America and Europe. Vianode’s breakthrough solution enables tailored high-performance synthetic anode graphite and a holistic sustainability offering including a 90% reduction in CO2 footprint. The company is currently preparing to start its customer qualification plant at Herøya, Norway, before executing its multi-billion dollar phased investment program for large-scale plants in North America and Europe. The long-term ambition is to supply advanced battery materials to 3 million EVs per year by 2030. Vianode is owned by the world-leading industrial and financial companies Hydro and Altor.