WA takes first step towards creating huge battery supply chain industry

Western Australia has taken its first concrete step towards establishing a globally competitive battery materials supply chain in the state, with the launch of a cathode precursor production pilot plant in Perth.

Located at Curtin University in Bentley on the outskirts of Perth, the Australian-first pilot plant will help design and build cathode precursor manufacturing facilities on a commercial and industrial scale.

The launch of the facility comes two years almost to the date after the publication of a report commissioned by state government’s Future Batteries Industry Cooperative Research Centre.

This called for Australia to go beyond resource extraction in the battery supply chain, and highlighted the enormous potential for WA to take a lead on this path.

The report found Western Australia has almost all of the necessary raw materials required to manufacture lithium-ion battery devices, including nickel, lithium and cobalt as well as established capabilities for minerals processing.

The 2020 report also recommended that a next step in establishing a WA battery manufacturing base was to establish a cathode precursor pilot plant.

At its official launch this week, the McGowan government said the facility would also help to educate and upskill a new generation of chemical and process engineers to support Australia’s growing battery and critical minerals industries.

“Launching the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre’s precursor production pilot plant is an exciting step forward for Western Australia’s burgeoning battery materials manufacturing industry,” said WA energy and mines minister Bill Johnston.

“Western Australia isn’t just famous for having all the minerals you need to make a battery; we also have the capabilities to progress down the value chain and grow our battery manufacturing and downstream processing industries.”

Cathode precursors are an important step of the battery value chain, a specifically engineered material that commonly contains nickel, cobalt, and manganese, which is then converted into cathode active materials with the addition of graphite and lithium for use in batteries.

The critical components of advanced battery production include the precursor, anode, cathode, and electrolyte which – according to the 2020 report – all can be manufactured in Australia.

“With increasing global demand for lithium-ion batteries Australia has been presented with a unique opportunity to transition into a major processing, manufacturing and trading hub to increase its share of market value,” the report said.