Registration Prices for NAATBatt 2026 go up on December 1. NAATBatt International will hold its 17th annual meeting and conference on February 9-12, 2026 at the JW Tucson Starr Pass hotel in Tucson, Arizona. The annual meeting and conference is the principal program at NAATBatt each year. The coming program will feature annual reports by NAATBatt's Chief Science Officer and Chief Technology Officer, market reports on multiple sectors of the advanced battery market delivered by leading consulting and media firms, in-person meetings of all 18 NAATBatt industry committees, and the famous Member Update Presentations by most of NAATBatt's 380 member firms.

NAATBatt recently announced that Joern Tinnemeyer, Vice President Data Center Engineering at Amazon, will give the keynote speech at NAATBatt 2025. If you are interested in hearing from the largest operator of hyperscale data centers in the world about exactly what types of energy storage it is looking for, and why, you need to attend NAATBatt 2026.

And of course, the networking. This year NAATBatt is bringing back the clay shooting competition to accompany the annual golf tournament. Your choice what kind of shooting you want to do, golf balls or clays. The meals, networking breaks, exhibit floor, spouses and companions program and other activities are all designed to make it easy to meet who you want to meet in the industry and to form good personal as well as business relationships. Don't miss it. For more information and to register, go to: https://nac.naatbatt.org/nac2026 .

Remember: Early registrants get priority in time assignment for their Member Update Presentations over later registrants of the same membership class. So don't delay. Register and make your hotel reservation soon!

NAATBatt recently formed its 18th discussion committee: the ESS and Data Center Committee. This committee will focus on the use of battery technology in all aspects of high capacity stationary energy storage, both in front and behind the meter. The market, technology and regulatory issues facing ESS developers will be discussed and studied. The committee will focus in particular on the energy storage needs and challenges of the rapidly growing hyperscale data center market. The new committee will be co-Chaired by Paul Charles of Charles and Associates and Michael Euripides of SIMBA Chain. Sign up for this committee, and any other NAATBatt discussion committees, at https://naatbatt.org/join-a-committee/. There is no cost and no commitment to signing up for NAATBatt committees. You will only get technology smarter and business wiser by participating in their discussions. NAATBatt discussion committees are the advanced battery industry's "water cooler".

On September 29, 2025, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released the latest update of the NAATBatt Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Database. This newly enhanced edition marks a significant upgrade from the February 17, 2025 version, now tracking 1,178 facilities and 1,022 companies across North America. Developed in collaboration with Avicenne Energy US, the database introduces several powerful new features, including real-time production data, detailed construction timelines, and expanded coverage across the upstream, midstream, downstream, and recycling sectors of the battery supply chain. It is accessible via an online interface or as an Excel download, allowing for easy integration into strategic planning processes.

Originally launched in 2021, the database remains the most comprehensive directory of North American companies involved in lithium-based battery manufacturing. It categorizes companies by product line and includes any firm that supplies goods or services used in the production of lithium-ion batteries. As of the February 2025 update, the database also includes professional service providers—such as law firms, consultants, accountants, HR specialists, and financial services firms—provided they are NAATBatt International members and serve clients in the battery industry. The database is updated twice a year. Companies not listed can submit their information via the online questionnaire. Corrections or feedback can be sent to LIB.SupplyChain@nrel.gov.

If your company is a NAATBatt member and would like to be included in the database, click here to submit your request to NREL. Please include your company name, name of the principal contact at your company, contact's e-mail address and phone number, type of professional service offered, and principal business address.

The NAATBatt Onshoring Battery Technology Committee recently hosted a webinar titled "Managing Worker Visas After the Ellabell Raid". The webinar sought to educate companies in the U.S. battery industry about how to comply with visa requirements for their foreign workers and, perhaps more importantly, how to deal with ICE in this new era of hyper-enforcement of immigration laws. Plans to build a robust supply chain for lithium battery technology in the United States by encouraging knowledge transfer from foreign workers experienced in advanced battery technology to U.S. workers suffered a severe setback when ICE raided the LG Energy Solutions/Hyundai battery project in Ellabell, Georgia on September 4. During the webinar, the co-Chair of the NAATBatt Onshoring Battery Technology, Fred Lee, who just returned from Seoul, explains how the raid is playing out in Korea and the likely ramifications for the U.S. advanced battery industry. Immigration attorneys Amany Kasham and Reggie Pacis of the Butzel law firm in Detroit outline a number of actions that every company employing foreign workers in the United States should take in order to prepare for possible government inquiries and raids. A recording of the webinar can be seen here: http://bit.ly/46g0hra. The slide deck prepared by the Butzel attorneys can be seen here.

Exciting news! NAATBatt’s new website will be launching soon. The new website will, among other things, provide an exclusive portal with links to special resources for employees of NAATBatt member firms. Registration by those employees will be necessary to access the private portion of the new website. So please keep an eye on this newsletter and NAATBatt's LinkedIn posts for the official launch date and details on how members can access the new member portal. Stay tuned!

Reignite Your Engagement and Supplement Your Knowledge: Join a NAATBatt Committee Now!

Serving on a NAATBatt committee is one of the most impactful ways to contribute to the growth of the advanced battery industry while deepening your own professional development. Whether you are interested in policy, safety, workforce, recycling, or other key segments of the industry, NAATBatt's 18 active discussion committees offer a front-row seat to important industry developments and initiatives that will shape the future of battery technology and energy storage.

Joining a committee opens doors to meaningful networking and collaboration with peers, potential customers, and thought leaders across the battery ecosystem. You will gain early insights into industry trends, help guide programming and reports, and contribute to shaping NAATBatt’s direction. It is a rewarding way to engage with new and old colleagues and to make a tangible impact in the battery industry.

Find your fit - view NAATBatt's active discussion committees and join one or more of them today: https://naatbatt.org/join-a-committee/. If your employer is a NAATBatt member, there is no cost to join.

Upcoming Meetings:

• December 10, 8:00 a.m. PT | 11:00 a.m. ET – Markets Committee
• December 11, 11:00 a.m. PT | 2:00 p.m. ET – Workforce Development Committee
• December 17, 11:00 a.m. PT | 2:00 p.m. ET – Zinc Battery Committee
• December 19, 9:00 a.m. PT | 12:00 p.m. ET – Equipment Makers Committee

New Members

NAATBatt welcomes Silver member Battery Metals, Inc., whose advanced process eliminates pollution, recovers more than 98% of critical minerals, and operates at a lower cost than thermal and electrowinning methods. The company purchases consumer batteries, OEM scrap, and end-of-life EV packs. Its North Carolina campus will be capable of shredding and refining 26.5 million pounds of lithium battery scrap annually. Learn more about the company at https://www.batterymetalsinc.com

NAATBatt welcomes Silver member CleanTech Strategies LLC. Founded in 2018, the firm specializes in energy storage, power electronics, microgrids, renewables, and advanced materials. Its expertise includes product maturity, customer adoption, regulation and market incentives, and bankability. CleanTech Strategies offers consulting services from seasoned business experts and engineering services from leading electrical engineers, working collaboratively to advance each client’s strategic objectives. Learn more about the company at https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleantech-strategies-llc

NAATBatt welcomes Silver member Wildcat Discovery Technologies, a company accelerating the development of next-generation battery materials through its industry-leading high-throughput experimentation platform. Wildcat collaborates with global OEMs, cell manufacturers, and material suppliers to deliver safer, higher-performing lithium-ion solutions. In addition to its R&D collaborations, Wildcat is commercializing a portfolio of advanced cathodes, including its high-energy DRX material. For more information, visit: https://www.wildcatdiscovery.com/

Members Press Releases

6K Additive has raised A$48 million through its initial public offering on the Australian Stock Exchange. The new capital will fund major expansions in metal‑powder production capacity and enable new ingot‑melt capabilities.

Read the full news release here.

ZincFive® secured an oversubscribed $30 million Series F funding round, bringing total funding to $254 million since 2016. The capital accelerates scaling of AI data center power solutions, supported by top climate and industrial investors.

Read the full news release here.

NAATBatt members interested in publishing press releases about developments at their companies in this section of the newsletter should send their releases by e-mail to Vivian Yu at NAATBatt by Thursday of each week.

Committee Pulse

Emerging Technologies Shaping the Battery and Energy Manufacturing Landscape

Two compelling presentations this month during the Manufacturing in North America Committee meeting offered members an inside look at emerging technologies shaping the future of battery recycling, software integration, and advanced energy manufacturing.

Scaling High-Purity “Black Sand” Recycling: David Fauvre of Blue Whale Materials introduced the company’s newly opened 100,000-square-foot lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The plant currently processes 14,000 tons annually and will expand to 20,000 tons by early 2026 through a U.S. Department of Energy grant. Fauvre detailed Blue Whale’s process that converts manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries into high-grade “black sand”, a dry, low-impurity product refined primarily in Korea and Japan due to limited U.S. capacity. Their process removes organics and electrolytes, allowing the material to be shipped as a non-hazardous mixed-metal product. He also discussed the industry’s move toward closed-loop recycling, beginning with production scrap and progressing toward end-of-life EV batteries.

Software, AI, and Analytics for Advanced Energy Manufacturing: Steve Neemeh of LHP highlighted the company’s engineering and software expertise in battery management systems, automated testing, model-based development, and safety-critical manufacturing. He introduced Sentinel, LHP’s new platform designed to automate certification, deployment, and oversight of software for fleet and industrial applications. Neemeh emphasized the increasing role of “software factories” in manufacturing and shared early field insights from EV and electrified systems – particularly the need for stronger performance metrics, improved component integration, and standardized safety expectations.

Get Involved: If you would like to be connected to these informed discussions and keep up-to-date on emerging trends in the battery industry, you are invited to join the Manufacturing in North America Committee. To join, visit the NAATBatt Committee Sign-Up page and select “Manufacturing in North America.” New participants are always welcome!

Li-Bridge Corner

DOE Announces $134 Million Funding Opportunity to Boost U.S. Rare Earth Supply Chains

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for up to $134 million to strengthen domestic supply chains for rare earth elements (REEs). The funding will support projects that can commercially recover and refine REEs from unconventional sources, such as mine tailings, electronic waste, and other waste materials. The goal is to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, enhance national security, and support U.S. energy independence.

This opportunity is part of DOE’s Rare Earth Demonstration Facility program, aimed at establishing full-scale REE extraction and separation capabilities within the United States. REEs—including praseodymium, neodymium, terbium, and dysprosium—are essential for advanced manufacturing, defense technologies, and high-performance magnets used in clean energy applications.

A webinar with more information will take place on December 9, 2025, at 1:00 PM EST.

Letters of intent are requested by December 10, 2025, and full applications are due January 5, 2026.

Advanced Battery Industry News

Vulcan Energy Resources has received a financing package of €2.2bn ($2.6 billion) to fund the construction and development of phase one of the Lionheart lithium and renewable energy project in the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany. Of that amount, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide €250 million ($291 million) in financing and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) has signed an export loan of €100 million (Source: Yahoo Finance, EIB, Global Mining Review)

Spain will provide about 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to support its electric vehicle market (EV) and industry next year as part of a plan to lift the share of EVs produced in the country to 95% by 2035. The plan includes 300 million euros ($350 million) to install charging points along roads still lacking coverage. (Source: Reuters)

Enchem is expected to sign a 1.5 trillion won ($1.0 billion), annual 70,000-ton electrolyte supply contract with CATL. The annual 70,000-ton electrolyte supply period spans 5 years from 2026 to 2030. (Source: Business Korea)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for up to $134 million for rare earth elements (REEs). Through this funding, DOE will support projects that demonstrate the commercial viability of recovering and refining REEs from unconventional feedstocks including mine tailings, e-waste, and other waste materials. (Source: U.S. DOE) See Li-Bridge Corner Announcement for more details.

EVE Energy (China-based) and Vimab BESS AB (Swedish energy storage system integrator) have signed a 3-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote the deployment of 1.48 GWh (gigawatt-hour) of energy storage projects in Northern Europe. (Source: EVE Energy)

VinFast and the Government of Tamil Nadu signed an MOU to support the development of the company’s existing facility in the SIPCOT Industrial Park. In addition, VinFast will invest $500 million in Thoothukudi to develop workshops and production lines for electric buses (ebuses) and e-scooters. (Source: VinFast)

Hyundai Motor Group will open a KRW 1.2 trillion ($813 million) Mobility Battery Campus in Anseong, Korea by the end of 2026. (Source: Hyundai)

The U.S. DOE has renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). The renaming is effective immediately and will be reflected in all public communications and official correspondence. (Source: DOE)

Geomet (joint venture between European Metals Holdings (49%) and CEZ (51%)) has received a grant of up to €360m ($417 million) from the Czech Government, pending completion of administrative procedures. The funding will support the advancement of the company’s Cinovec lithium project. (Source: Mining Technologies)

RWE is moving forward to construct its 350MW/750MWh (megawatt-hour) Pembroke Battery Storage project in the U.K. Construction is projected to commence in 1H26 with commissioning planned for 2H28.

(Source: RWE) 

Fortescue (Australia-based) has delivered a 50MW/250MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) to North Star Junction. The BESS is powered by BYD’s Blade battery technology, comprised of 48 energy storage containers and supplies green power to Fortescue’s Pilbara Energy Connect network at night.

(Source: Fortescue)

Manoa Energy has commenced commercial operations for the Helios 50MW/104MWh BESS in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan. The system was developed in partnership with Brawn and HD Renewable Energy Japan. The project uses Tesla Megapack 2XL. (Source: Braun)

Sunrise (Guizhou) New Energy Materials has entered into a sales contract with Guizhou Jiaying Technology. Under the terms of the agreement, the company will supply 10,000 tons of synthetic graphite anode materials over one year, with a total contract value of approximately $30 million. (Source: Sunrise New Energy)

Vattenfall has secured 100MW/400MWh of storage capacity from the Dutch Leopard battery (under development by Giga Storage). Under the agreement, the company will have operational control of this capacity. The contract will commence on January1st 2028. (Source: Vattenfall)

Energy Toolbase and Bpi have deployed three BYD CHESS BESS totaling 360kW/798kWh (kilowatt-hour) at the Korbel Winery in California. (Source: Energy Toolbase & BPi)

ABB announced the completion of its acquisition of Gamesa Electric’s power electronics business in Spain from Siemens Gamesa (announced in 12/24). Financial terms were not disclosed. (Source: ABB)

China has issued the first batch of rare earth export licences that should accelerate shipments to certain customers. They were issued to JL Mag Rare Earth, Ningbo Yunsheng and Beijing Zhong Ke San Huan High-Tech. (Source: Reuters)

Autel Digital Power (China-based) has signed an MOU with Emarat EV Charging Stations (UAEV). Under the MOU, Autel and UAEV will collaborate on various areas including Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) interaction, BESS and intelligent charging platforms. (Source: Autel)

Fastned has been selected by the Direction interdépartementale des routes Ouest to design and operate an electric service area in France. The rest area project located in St Yvi, Brittany is scheduled to open next year and will offer 6 charging points for electric vehicles each with a power of 400 kW. (Source: Fastned)

Asahi Kasei announced its divestiture of Daramic (lead battery separator business) to Kingswood Capital Management. The Daramic business transfer closed on December 1, 2025. (Source: Plastics Today)

Ecobat announced the completion of the sale of its battery recycling and specialty lead operations in the United Kingdom to funds advised by Splitstone Capital LLP. The transaction encompasses Ecobat's facilities in Matlock and Welwyn Garden City. (Source: Ecobat)

Ace Green Recycling announced equipment deployments across multiple international markets. The company is preparing to ship equipment to Taiwan and Thailand and has already commenced shipments to Armenia for two separate lead and lithium projects. (Source: Ace Green Recycling)

Purdue University engineers have designed an experimental highway segment that wirelessly charged a Cummins electric heavy-duty truck driving at highway speeds. The segment, built by the Indiana Department of Transportation is a quarter-mile stretch on U.S. Highway 52/U.S. Highway 231 in West Lafayette. (Source: Purdue University)

Executive Director's Notes

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