NAATBatt 2026 STARTS IN 10 DAYS! Don't Wait. Registration prices go up on February 3.

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 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.

Don't miss the networking and social activities at NAATBatt 2026. This year NAATBatt is bringing back the clay shooting competition to accompany the annual golf tournament. 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.

The NAATBatt annual meeting is where business relationships get made and business deals get done. If you work in the North American advanced battery industry, don't miss NAATBatt 2026.

For more information and to register, go to: https://nac.naatbatt.org/nac2026 .

JOIN THE NAATBatt DELEGATION AT INTERBATTERY 2026 IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

COEX Convention Center | March 11–13, 2025

InterBattery is Korea’s premier battery exhibition, convening global leaders, innovators, and investors across energy storage, EVs, and advanced battery technologies. NAATBatt will host a curated delegation, offering members exclusive access, increased visibility, and high-value connections in one of the world’s most influential battery markets.

As part of the delegation, participants will be invited to a U.S. Battery Forum, a full-day convening with U.S. and Korean companies, the U.S. Embassy, and key economic development stakeholders. The forum is designed to foster strategic collaboration on battery supply chains, with a particular focus on defense and national security applications, providing U.S. battery companies a rare opportunity to engage directly with Korean partners aligned with defense-related manufacturing, materials, and technology priorities.

With limited spots available, this delegation is ideal for U.S. battery companies looking to deepen partnerships in Korea and position themselves within critical, defense-relevant supply chains.

Click here to register.

NEW COMMITTEE ON ESS AND DATA CENTERS

NAATBatt newest community is the ESS and Data Center Committee. The ESS and Data Centers Committee is the 18th NAATBatt community providing insight on various sectors of the advanced battery market to NAATBatt members and guests. The ESS and Data Center Committee focuses on the use of battery technology in all aspects of high capacity stationary energy storage, both in front and behind the meter, including the energy storage needs of data centers and hyperscale data centers. The market, technology and regulatory issues facing ESS developers will be discussed and studied. Sign up for this committee, and any other NAATBatt committees/communities here. 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 subject matter committees/communities are the new "water cooler" of the advanced battery industry.

NAATBATT LITHIUM-ION BATTERY SUPPLY CHAIN DATABASE

The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR; formerly NREL) recently released an update of the NAATBatt Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Database. This newly enhanced edition marks a significant upgrade from the February 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 NLR. 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.

NAATBatt's NEW WEBSITE HAS LAUNCHED!

Exciting news! NAATBatt’has a new website! Check out: www.naatbatt.org. 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 is necessary to access the private portion of the new website. So please keep an eye on this newsletter and NAATBatt's LinkedIn posts for details on how members can access the new member portal. NAATBatt 2026 meeting in Tucson will include a short tutorial about how to use new website and portal. NAATBatt members are going to like the new resources it provides. You will hear more about NAATBatt's plans and the new resources available to NAATBatt members at the NAATBatt 2026 meeting in Tucson next month.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? JOIN ONE OR MORE NAATBatt COMMITTEES/COMMUNITIES

NAATBatt has 18 active subject matter committees/communities, offering NAATBatt members a way to hear about new developments in 18 different sectors of the advanced battery industry. And here's the kicker: It costs nothing to join a NAATBatt committee and participate in the community discussions. Just sign up here. NAATBatt subject matter communities are the new "water cooler" of the North American advanced battery industry: the place to hear the scuttlebutt about what is really going on. It makes no sense not to join.

New Members

NAATBatt welcomes Silver member Pulsenics. Pulsenics enables reliable operation of electrochemical assets through next-generation performance diagnostics and quality control technologies. Its data-driven insights help energy companies replace legacy solutions and improve operations. With commercial deployments across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East, Pulsenics supports organizations worldwide in the energy transition. Learn more at pulsenics.com.

NAATBatt welcomes Silver member Volt Resources Limited, a graphite producer and advanced materials developer. Volt holds a 70% stake in the ZG Group, controlling the Zavalievsky graphite mine and 636 hectares of freehold land, and has two lithium-borate licence applications in Serbia near Belgrade. Learn more at voltresources.com.

NAATBatt welcomes Public Benefit member RIT Battery Development Center, providing prototyping and testing services for over 10 years. The Prototyping Lab can manufacture coin, cylindrical, and pouch cells up to 25Ah. The 18,000-sf Kodak Park test lab offers accredited performance, life-cycle, safety, abuse, and system functional test. Learn more at rit.edu/batterydevelopment

Member Press Releases

Volt Resources Limited (Volt) announce that it has executed a binding term sheet with Unbounded Opportunities Fund SPC (UOF), for the funding and development of the Bunyu Graphite Mine and Processing Plant in Tanzania.

Click here for the full news release.

Volt announced the commencement of a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the high purity graphite (HPG) stage of its planned Alabama Graphite Refinery in the United States. 

Click here to read the full news release.

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.

Li-Bridge Corner

Advancing Battery Traceability: Li-Bridge and SAE International Launch SAE J3327 Standard

Li-Bridge recently hosted a government-only workshop on traceability and the impact of reliable data from raw material extraction through end-of-life on supply chain efficiency, transparency, and resilience.

Over the past year, Li-Bridge and SAE International have been developing a standard to advance the energy storage industry through traceability: SAE J3327. Published in September 2025, the standard establishes a procedure for identifying, collecting, and recording critical data about an EV battery, with a focus on the extraction, processing, and manufacturing of critical minerals. It aligns with the EU Digital Product Passport requirements for batteries (set to take effect in 2027) and complies with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit for battery manufacturers. The result is a globally consistent set of procedures that the battery supply chain can follow, including applications in grid storage and defense.

We need pilot partners! Li-Bridge is seeking industry partners across all parts of the battery supply chain to pilot the standard and contribute to its development, helping to advance the goals of the industry. For more information, please contact David Roberts at david.roberts@libridge.org or Frank Menchaca at frankmenchaca8561@gmail.com.

Meet the Board Member of the Week

John Platt – Snell and Wilmer

John Platt, partner at Snell & Wilmer, specializes in patents and trademarks with a focus on batteries and energy storage. A former engineer, he helps clients protect innovations across EVs, data centers, military power, recycling, and AI-driven systems. Deeply involved in NAATBatt for over a decade, John serves as board secretary and co-chairs the Battery Cybersecurity committee. He shares insights on battery innovation, the value of NAATBatt committees, and the importance of strategic partnerships, highlighting the industry’s resilience as companies tackle technological and supply-chain challenges, particularly in recycling and data-center energy storage. He values holistic systems thinking, collaboration, service, and trust, and takes pride in his firm, family, and professional community.



• Watch the full interview here
• Want to meet John and other members of the NAATBatt community? Learn more about NAATBatt membership and apply for it here
• Click here for NAATBatt LinkedIn post.

Advanced Battery Industry News

Samsung SDI America (SDIA) has signed a contract to supply batteries for energy storage systems (ESS) to a U.S. company. SDIA previously signed a separate contract last month valued at 2 trillion won to supply LFP batteries for ESS to a major U.S. energy specialist from 2027 for three years. (Source: The Chosun Daily) 

Tesla has entered into an agreement to invest approximately $2 billion in xAI. In addition, the company is ending Model S and Model X production and will use the Fremont factory to produce Optimus humanoid robots. (Source: Tesla & CNBC)

Younan Company has launched a utility-scale solar and battery storage project in California. The Soleil Renewable Energy project is expected to produce 880 MWdc (700 MWac) of solar power paired with a 460MW (megawatt) battery energy storage system (BESS). Commercial operation is targeted for mid-2028. (Source: Younan Properties) 

DH Mining has opened a 200,000 metric ton graphite processing plant located in Mozambique's northern province of Niassa. The company has invested $200 million on mining and processing facilities.(Source: Construction Review)

Kim Long Motor is partnering with BYD to develop a $130 million plant to produce batteries for commercial electric vehicles (EVs) in Vietnam. Under the agreement, Kim Long Motor will fund the construction of the facility, while BYD will provide technical support. The facility will have a capacity of 3 gigawatt-hours (GWh). In its 2nd phase, the facility will expand production capacity to 6GWh per year. The expansion will also introduce battery production for passenger EVs. (Source: Bangkok Post) 

Nvidia has invested $2 billion in CoreWeave that will enable CoreWeave to accelerate procurement of land and power required to build data centers. CoreWeave is targeting to build over 5GW in AI data center capacity by 2030. (Source: Nvidia)

Arriva Netherlands has ordered 167 electric buses (ebuses); 128 from Yutong and 39 from Irizar. The ebuses will be deployed within the East Brabant network from December 2026. (Source: Sustainable-bus.com)

Google has invested in Redwood Materials as part of its $425 million Series E financing round to supports its efforts in building U.S. ESS that are being designed to power data centers, industry and the grid. (Source: Redwood Materials)

ÖBB Postbus has ordered a total of 63 MAN Lion's City E buses for use in several regions of Vorarlberg (Austria). The ebuses have been delivered and successfully put into operation. (Source: MAN)

Drax (UK-based) has signed a tolling agreement with West Burton C Ltd (owned by Fidra Energy) for 250MW/500MWh (megawatt-hours) of BESS capacity. Fidra will handle construction, maintenance, and availability, while Drax pays a fixed annual tolling fee over 10 years from COD, gaining operational control, dispatch rights, and all revenues (excluding capacity market revenues). The agreement is subject to Fidra’s final investment decision by 3Q26 and commercial operations by 2H29. (Source: Drax) 

Kandi Technologies Group announced that wholly-owned subsidiary, China Battery Exchange (Zhejiang) Technology has entered into a 3-year cooperation agreement with Times Qiji Green Energy Technology (subsidiary of CATL). As a component of CATL’s “Ten Thousand Station Plan,” Qiji Energy is advancing the standardized and scalable deployment of the “Qiji Battery Swap” network, with a target of approximately 900 battery swap stations by 2026. (Source: Kandi Technologies Group)

The village board in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, has approved Microsoft's site plans for 15 additional data centers near an existing facility. The taxable value of the developments as Microsoft proposed exceeds $13 billion. (Source: CNBC)

SK Innovation’s termination of the battery joint venture (JV) with Ford Motor in the United States has resulted in a 3.7 trillion won ($2.6 billion) asset loss. Ford will take over the JV’s two plants in Kentucky, while SK Innovation’s battery unit SK On will operate the Tennessee site. (Source: The Detroit News)

United Lithium announced that it has acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Swedish Minerals. The acquisition expands the company’s Nordic metals platform through the addition of uranium and rare earth exploration portfolio in Finland and Sweden. (Source: United Lithium)

USA Rare Earth (USAR) has entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (the LOI) with the U.S. Department of Commerce and a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy. The LOI for a total of $1.6 billion, includes $277 million in proposed federal funding and $1.3 billion in a proposed senior secured loan under the CHIPS Act. The company will secure domestic access to 12 of the U.S. Government’s Top 30 Most Essential Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements. (Source: USAR)

Nuvve Denmark (subsidiary of Nuvve Holding) and Capture Energy have entered into a framework agreement to supply BESS for the 3 projects Nuvve is developing with E&B Renewables in Denmark. Delivery and commissioning are expected this summer. Capture Energy will also provide maintenance services for 10 years. (Source: Nuvve)

CleanCapital announced that it has acquired a majority interest in a 7.7MW/30.8MWh portfolio through a JV with Osaka Gas USA. The acquired portfolio consists of two projects—Arlington and Littlefield—standalone BESS located on Staten Island, NY, that are in commercial operation. (Source: CleanCapital)

WattEV has increased charging capacity at its San Bernardino truck depot to charge up to 200 electric trucks (etrucks) per day while offering MW charging capability for trucks compatible with MCS standards. (Source: WattEV)

Pilot Travel Centers (Pilot) has entered into an agreement with Tesla to install Semi Chargers to facilitate heavy-duty etruck charging. The charging stations will be built at select locations along I-5, I-10, and several corridors where the need for heavy-duty charging is highest. The first sites are expected to open in Summer 2026. (Source: Pilot)

SK On and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation’s Electrical Safety Research Institute have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for ‘Advanced ESS Fire Safety and Next-Generation Safety Technology Joint Research’. Under the MOU, the parties plan to pursue the advancement of ESS fire safety evaluation technologies, research on battery materials, and expansion of international cooperation. (Source: The Asia Business Daily)

GM is streamlining public charging with over 5,000 Electrify America fast-charging stations, including Hyper-Fast 350-kW chargers, right from the myChevrolet, myGMC or myCadillac app. Owners can navigate to the public charging page in their myBrand app to look for supported networks. (Source: GM News)

Titan Mining announced the commencement of graphite concentrate production at its Kilbourne demonstration facility, located in the company’s Empire State Mine infrastructure in St. Lawrence County, New York. (Source: Titan Mining)

Executive Director's Notes

Advertisements and Announcements

Industry Survey: Help Shape the Future of Battery Facility Growth in the Southeast

Calling all battery supply chain companies: C2ES and Greenline Insights are conducting an industry survey to learn more about companies' real-life siting considerations and what it takes to build a facility. All responses will be kept confidential and the data will be anonymized and aggregated to influence an economic analysis for battery industry growth in the Southeast. The survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Here is the survey – please fill it out yourself or share with your network. Thank you advance for your support. Responses are due by Friday, January 30th.