Russia: Rosatom is planning to build a battery plant
The Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom has announced plans to build a battery factory. To help build capacities and expertise, Rosatom is taking a 49 per cent stake in Enertech International, a South Korean manufacturer of electrodes, lithium-ion cells and energy storage systems.
The signed agreement also includes the construction of a plant for the production of lithium-ion cells for electric vehicles and energy storage systems in Russia with a production capacity of at least 2 GWh by 2030. According to Rosatom, the start of the first production stage is planned for 2025.
The batteries built there will be used in electric cars, electric buses, “special equipment”, and to stabilise power grids, Rosatom writes. Further details about the planned cells and the factory, such as the location, were not announced yet.
The factory is to be managed by subsidiary Renera, which specialises in the energy storage business. Renera, in turn, is a subsidiary of TVEL Fuel Company, which in turn is part of Rosatom. The stake in Enertech is also officially through Renera.
Incidentally, Rosatom justifies its battery plans and its entry into Enertech with its “strategic development for non-nuclear business models”. Energy storage, he says, is a way to develop high-tech products that are in demand in the “new technological paradigm”.
“This will increase production capacity, significantly enhance our expertise and applications based on lithium-ion batteries and also facilitate access to foreign markets,” says Natalia Nikipelova, president of TVEL Fuel Company. “In addition, local manufacturing content in Russia means not just new technologies and products, but also new jobs.”
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