NAATBatt 2026 Recycling & Lifecycle Management Workshop

Register now for the Workshop! Click here for more information and to register. NAATBatt will hold its 9th annual workshop on lithium battery recycling and lifecycle management on July 7-8, 2026, at Michigan State University's MEC Center in Troy, Michigan. The workshop will examine the technologies, business models and economic challenges involved in recycling and reusing lithium batteries in North America. Building a secure supply chain of battery materials in North America may ultimately depend heavily on the "urban mining" of battery materials. Learn about the prospects for lithium battery recycling and reuse in North America and meet the companies and experts that are already doing business in this sector.

Affordable Power Conference & Expo: Innovative Energy Storage for Data Centers and Other Large Loads

NAATBatt and NY-BEST are partnering on a new conference and expo focused on the energy storage and power generation needs of data centers and other large loads. Affordable Power Conference & Expo: Innovative Energy Storage for Grids & Data Centers will be held on November 3-5, 2026 at the On Center in Syracuse, New York. The Expo will be a free-to-attend event offering companies providing energy storage and energy generation products to data centers and other large loads the opportunity to highlight their expertise and meet potential customers. The Expo will be co-located with a conference discussing the policy drivers, economics, and innovative new energy technologies shaping this rapidly growing market. It will also address the very important question of how the explosive need of data centers for electric power can, by the deployment of innovative new energy technologies, be made to benefit all electricity users.

Learn more about the program and sponsorship packages here!

NAATBatt 2027 Annual Meeting & Conference

It is not too early to start planning for NAATBatt 2027. NAATBatt 2027, the 18th annual meeting of NAATBatt International, be held on February 8–11, 2027, at the Westin Rancho Mirage in Rancho Mirage, California, just outside Palm Springs. The NAATBatt annual meeting features presentations by leading consulting firms and market analysts about various sectors of the battery market, in-person meetings of all 18 NAATBatt communities, Member Update Presentations by NAATBatt member firms, and simply the best socializing and networking available anywhere in the North American advanced battery industry. Mark your calendar and watch this newsletter for updates about NAATBatt 2027.

New! NAATBatt Job Board

Looking to hire talent in the advanced battery industry or explore new career opportunities? NAATBatt is pleased to launch its new Job Board, designed to connect employers with professionals across the battery and energy storage ecosystem.

NAATBatt members may post job openings free of charge, while non-members can post positions for $250 per listing. All job postings are featured on the NAATBatt website and promoted in the NAATBatt Weekly newsletter for added visibility within the industry.

Whether you are recruiting top talent or searching for your next opportunity, the NAATBatt Job Board is a valuable new resource for the advanced battery community.

Visit the Job Board today:

NAATBatt Job Board

This week’s listing:

• The Battery Network - Environmental Compliance and Safety Manager – Click here to learn more.  

New Market Report on Energy Storage for Data Centers

NAATBatt has published a new comprehensive report on the energy storage market for data centers. Available exclusively to NAATBatt members through the NAATBatt Resources page, the report provides insights into one of the fastest-growing sectors of the battery industry. NAATBatt plans to release 3-4 Market Reports annually covering key sectors of the advanced battery market. Access to these reports is included with NAATBatt membership, offering significant value compared to the cost of purchasing similar research from major consulting firms. Companies interested in gaining access to current and future reports can learn more and apply through the NAATBatt Membership page.

ALERT: UPDATED DATABASE RELEASED!

NAATBatt Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Database

Since 2021, NAATBatt has retained the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) (formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), to produce a comprehensive database of all companies in North America active in the lithium-ion battery supply chain. The database can be accessed by clicking here: NLR/NAATBatt Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain.

NAATBatt membership dues pay for the database. As a public service, NAATBatt makes the database available to all users. The database is a public resource intended to make doing business in the North American lithium-ion supply chain easier and more efficient. Thanks to all NAATBatt members for doing their part to make this available to everyone!

Under its contract with NAATBatt, NLR, with the assistance of Avicenne Energy, updates the database every six months. Updates identify new companies active in the lithium-ion market and reflect changes in the industry. NLR released the latest update on April 1, 2026.

The updated database now identifies more than 1,000 companies and more than 1,200 facilities involved in manufacturing, supplying, designing or supporting lithium-ion battery technology in North America. It includes companies involved in mining, material processing, electrode/cell/pack manufacturing, cell component production, recycling/repurposing, and supporting infrastructure such as equipment makers, R&D startups, services, consulting, product distributors, and professional services.

Access the database now to make use of this resource. If your company or facility is not listed but should be, complete the online questionnaire to be include in the next update. Companies are encouraged to review the database and send any corrections to LIB.SupplyChain@nlr.gov.

New NAATBatt Website

Check-out NAATBatt’s new website! Visit us at: www.naatbatt.org. Certain information and resources are available exclusively to members, and an account is required to access this content. Employees of all NAATBatt member firms should register to gain entry to the private member portal. The portal contains links to special resources and tools. For a guide on how to register and take advantage of this new NAATBatt member only resource, go to: https://www.naatbatt.org/blog/welcome-to-the-new-naatbatt-website

NAATBatt 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.

Click here for a list of upcoming meetings.

New Members

NAATBatt welcomes Silver member Kice Industries, a company entering its 80th year in business. Kice Industries is a supplier of bulk material handling equipment specializing in dust collection, air handling systems, and its patented multi-aspirator. The company also complements its Air Systems group with two additional business units: Automation and Engineering. Learn more at http://www.kiceindustries.com.

Li-Bridge Corner

Li-Bridge Spring 2026 Update Highlights Priorities for the U.S. Battery Supply Chain

Li-Bridge convened its Spring Update on May 11, bringing together the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries (FCAB), Department of Energy (DOE) leadership, and more than 50 industry partners to discuss the outlook for the U.S. lithium-battery supply chain over the coming year.

The session opened with a DOE/FCAB update from Madeleine Bugel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Battery Strategy in DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI), outlining the Administration’s battery priorities. Discussion also highlighted the open $69 million Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator Program, which focuses on material efficiency, semiconductor material refining, and cost-competitive direct lithium extraction.

Dr. Austin Brown, Director of DOE’s Transportation Technologies Office (TTO), formerly the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), also shared broader perspectives on the office and joined attendees for an open Q&A session.

The discussion then shifted to Li-Bridge’s four strategic priorities for 2026. First, Li-Bridge will continue coordinating the Pilot Line Network Bridge by: (1) updating projections for R&D and pre-production facilities, and (2) aligning activities across both lithium and non-lithium pilot lines.

On battery traceability, SAE J3327 is being updated to reflect changes to the battery production tax credit, with Version 2.0 expected in Q4. Li-Bridge will also convene traceability stakeholders during DOE’s TTO Annual Merit Review on June 4. For more information, please contact Dave Roberts or Frank Menchaca.

Two additional initiatives will focus on closing gaps in domestic battery manufacturing equipment and supporting the supply-chain needs of AI-driven hyperscale data centers and behind-the-meter energy storage.

The meeting wrapped up with an open discussion on U.S. competitiveness, deployment targets, and investor sentiment around energy storage markets.

Join us for the next quarterly update in August!

Advanced Battery Industry News

Stellantis and Dongfeng Group have signed an agreement under which the Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën Automobile joint venture will produce Jeep®-branded off-road new energy vehicles (EVs) and Peugeot-branded EVs starting in 2027. The project represents a combined investment of about 1 billion euros (or $1.2 billion). (Source: Stellantis)

Tesla is investing about $250 million to expand battery cell production at its factory outside Berlin, lifting its capacity target for the site to 18 GWh (gigawatt-hour), which is over 2x the prior objective of 8GWh. (Source: Quartz, LinkedIn )

The Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) of Germany is providing up to one billion euros ($1.2 billion) of funding over the next 4 years for the development of charging infrastructure for battery-electric heavy commercial vehicles. The funding guideline is aimed at companies that set up charging infrastructure in their own depot as well as operators of publicly accessible charging points. (Source: BMV)

Ford Motor has introduced its ‘Ford Energy‘ subsidiary that will provide domestic assembled battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the U.S. The company plans to deploy at least 20GWh annually with deliveries planned for late-2027. The flagship product is the Ford Energy DC block, a standardized 20-foot containerized BESS designed around 512 Ah LFP prismatic cells. (Source: Ford From the Road)

SoftBank has launched a Japan-based battery business to support demand for electricity driven by AI adoption. The organization will promote an end-to-end approach that encompasses development to manufacturing stages to produce battery cells and BESS. SoftBank will utilize the AI Data Center being developed in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture as a core hub to establish its AX Factory and the GX Factory. (Source: SoftBank)

PowerX (Japan-based) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Elektroprivreda Crne Gore AD Nikšić (EPCG), Montenegro's national electricity utility, to collaborate on BESS. The MOU sets a target of approximately 500MWh (megawatt-hours) of BESS capacity over an initial 3-year period to support the integration of renewable energy to support grid stability in Montenegro. (Source: PowerX)

Alsym Energy and Juniper Energy announced a partnership to deploy 500MWh of sodium-ion BESS primarily across California. (Source: Alsym Energy)

Richardson Electronics announced a partnership with Gotion to bring BESS to the U.S. market. Through this partnership, the companies will introduce two BESS platforms: a 760kWh (kilowatt-hour) system designed for C&I energy storage applications and a 5MWh system for utility deployments. (Source: Richardson Electronics)

Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC), EVelution Energy and Trafigura announced the signing of a tripartite MOU to establish a framework for the supply of Congolese cobalt hydroxide to the United States. EGC is expected to originate cobalt hydroxide under its state mandate in the DRC, while Trafigura is expected to provide supply chain, logistics and marketing services and EVelution Energy to process the material at its Arizona facility into battery-grade cobalt sulfate and/or alloy-grade cobalt metal. (Source: Trafigura)

NEO Battery Materials (Toronto-based) has entered into a non-binding Supply Intent Letter to provide drone batteries for an undisclosed Republic of Korea Army program. Under the agreement, the company has committed to supplying 7,584 drone battery packs. (Source: NEO)

VoltaGrid announced that it has signed agreements for a $1.0 billion investment from funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (Blackstone) and Halliburton. The proceeds will be used to for the deployment of VoltaGrid’s behind-the-meter power generation solutions for data centers, microgrids and industrial applications. (Source: Blackstone)

Nscale announced an additional $790 million in financing – committed by ABN AMRO, DNB, Eksfin, Nordea and SEB – for the development of the AI data center in Narvik, Norway. (Source: Nscale)

The Government of Guyana, through Guyana Power and Light has signed a $27.3 million contract with PowerChina International Group for the construction of a 30MW/60MWh BESS. (Source: Guyana News Room)

CATL and Zhengzhou Yutong Bus have signed an MOU that will focus on jointly expanding in overseas markets that includes establishing a model for exporting Chinese automotive technology across more than 60 overseas countries and regions. (Source: CnEVPost)

KAP Minerals and Hanwa announced the signing of an MOU on the offtake supply and the development of minerals supply chains between Canada and Japan. During the 1st phase, Hanwa will purchase and distribute phosphate and rare earth element concentrate production from KAP's Northern Ontario project. In the 2nd phase, the goal is to establish processing capacity, including production of phosphoric acid. (Source: KAP Minerals)

Hitachi and X LABS are collaborating on the development of energy parks to deliver GW-scale power designed as behind-the-meter power supply hubs with co-located, GW-scale infrastructure for AI data center off-takers in North America. (Source: Hitachi and X LABS)

Envision Energy (China-based) announced a partnership with Cape Breton China to explore clean energy development opportunities in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, with plans to develop a 300MW hybrid wind and BESS project. (Source: Envision Energy)

Phoenix Group (Abu Dhabi-based), an IHC portfolio company, announced a partnership with DC Max to develop its European AI data center, an 18MW facility in Lyon, France. Construction is planned to begin in July 2026, with delivery targeted between 4Q27 and 1Q28. (Source: Phoenix Group)

Monomyth Materials (parent company of M2Graphite) announced it has acquired assets of NanoGraf. which will become the base for the company’s M2Innovations business, focused on battery materials and prototype cells from R&D through pilot scale. (Source: Monomyth Materials)

Jacobs has been awarded a sole source engineering, procurement and construction management contract by Hut 8 to deliver a 2nd U.S. AI data center campus, Beacon Point, in Nueces County, Texas. The multi phase campus is designed to support one gigawatt of total capacity. (Source: Jacobs)

Gradiant announced that HyperSolved™, its end-to-end cooling water solution for AI data centers, is now deployed with several of the world’s largest hyperscale operators. (Source: Gradiant)

SoftBank has invested $457 million into AI chip company Graphcore (U.K.-based), which it acquired in 2024. (Source: CNBC)

CATL has commenced production for battery module assembly in a new building that will have 5GWh of annual capacity. (Source: Hungary Today)

Driivz (a Vontier company) announced a partnership to scale the Duracell E-Charge EV charging network across the U.K. The network leverage Driivz’s roaming capabilities. (Source: Driivz)

Electra Battery Materials (Electra) has awarded WB Melback a C$25 million ($18 million) construction package to complete the solvent extraction building at its cobalt sulfate refinery complex north of Toronto. (Source: Electra)

Moment Energy announced it is building a battery repurposing facility in Vancouver, British Columbia over the next 6 weeks. The company will be repurposing EV batteries already on North American roads and transform them into BESS. (Source: Moment Energy)

Source: CRU Group

Executive Director's Notes

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