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Caithness battery maker agrees Australia deal


By Calum MacLeod

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AMTE Power factory in Thurso could soon have a counterpart manufacturing its lithium ion cells in Western Australia.
AMTE Power factory in Thurso could soon have a counterpart manufacturing its lithium ion cells in Western Australia.

Specialist battery manufacturer AMTE Power of Caithness has announced a globe-spanning agreement to begin production in Australia.

AMTE Power, which operates a manufacturing plant in Thurso, has signed an agreement with Western Australia infrastructure developer InfraNomics to create a new business, Barden Cells.

This will use AMTE’s licensed technology and manufacturing expertise to build lithium ion cells for use in power storage systems, and will operate from “Lithium Valley”, an area to the south of state capital Perth which is already known for its development of lithium related products and will provide access to raw materials and local technical expertise.

AMTE chief executive Dave Pell said: “The creation of Bardan Cells Pty Ltd is hugely exciting. We’re thrilled with this development that will further allow us to develop sustainable cells, not only for the UK but also in a mineral rich country like Australia. Importantly though, we’re excited to become an important part of Australia’s focus on renewable energy.

“We’re committed to using only the best materials and that’s why we’re targeting the Lithium Valley for this project.”

Power storage is vital for the transition towards renewable energy and Bardan plans to deliver sustainable products based on locally sourced materials. Current plans are to build an initial manufacturing plant leading to a planned Gigafactory to capture a portion of the growing market for niche power storage applications.

InfraNomics founder and director Cameron Edwards commented: “The relationship with AMTE provides Bardan and its customers the advanced technological expertise required to make world class products suitable for extreme environments. The global transformation of energy is one of the largest growth markets in the world and we are delighted to be playing a role in reshoring manufacturing in the Australian energy sector and creating an essential piece in the critical raw materials value chain. The formation of Bardan Cells in Lithium Valley was the logical next step for us, with AMTE, Bardan is able to fast track local power storage manufacturing.”


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