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

The website is now live and registration is open for the Affordable Power Conference & Expo in Syracuse, NY on November 3-5, 2026. To get more information, register to attend, and get information about exhibiting and sponsoring at the conference and expo, click here.

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. 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 important question of how the explosive need of data centers for electric power can, through the deployment of innovative new energy technologies and thoughtful policies, be made to benefit all electricity users.

NAATBatt and NY-BEST have released a Call for Speakers, seeking proposals to give talks about new power generation and energy storage technologies that can address the data center/large load power challenge as well as policy initiatives to try to enure that the addition of these large new loads do not raise electricity prices for everyone else. This is the most important issue in the data center industry today. If your company has a technology solution, please apply to speak. A lot of people are looking for effective solutions. To see the Call for Speakers, click here. THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS JULY 31.

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 

New Market Report on Energy Storage for Data Centers

NAATBatt has published a new comprehensive report on the energy storage market for data centers prepared by Avicenne Energy. 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. The next report on the market for LFP CAM and pre-CAM materials in North America prepared by CRU Group is expected to be released in July 2026. 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.

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!

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.

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 Quantasonix Technologies, Inc., a development-stage company developing a real-time, inline characterization platform that continuously monitors battery slurry during production, providing non-destructive insight into homogeneity, agglomeration, and viscosity drift to help predict and prevent manufacturing issues. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Carmel, Indiana, Quantasonix collaborates with leading research universities and is engaging battery manufacturers and materials organizations. Learn more at www.quantasonix.com.

NAATBatt welcomes Public Benefit member Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the trade association representing the full automotive industry, including vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, battery producers, EV charging companies, semiconductor makers, and autonomous vehicle innovators. Active in Washington, D.C., and all 50 states, the association advocates for a cleaner, safer, and smarter transportation future. Learn more at https://www.autosinnovate.org/.

Member Press Releases

Nano One has reached 85% engineering completion on its Candiac LFP production capacity expansion project, advancing plans to increase total facility capacity to approximately 800 tonnes per annum.

Click here for 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.

Community Pulse

From Simulation to Standards: Advancing Battery Safety

How can artificial intelligence, advanced testing, and stronger safety standards help prevent battery incidents before they occur? NAATBatt’s Battery Safety Community explored these questions during its latest meeting, featuring technical presentations, regulatory developments, and real-world incident analysis.

Experts from AVL demonstrated how simulation and physical testing can be combined to predict and limit thermal propagation within battery packs. Their three-stage methodology progresses from detailed 3D computational fluid dynamics simulations to system-level modeling and machine-learning tools.

The result is a dramatic increase in design speed. AVL’s Battery Composer platform can evaluate approximately 450,000 battery configurations in just eight minutes, allowing engineers to explore safety improvements that would take weeks using traditional simulation methods alone.

The AVL team also highlighted destructive testing systems and integrated Battery Cell Test Center solutions that combine cycling, environmental control, gas sampling, and thermal runaway characterization. Together, these capabilities help manufacturers validate models and develop safer battery systems.

The Community also discussed the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s proposed rulemaking for mobility battery packs, including potential adoption of the UL 2271 standard and expanded requirements to prevent cell-to-cell propagation.

In his monthly incident update, Brian Engle reviewed recent electric vehicle fires and emphasized the need for stronger service and maintenance safety frameworks for high-voltage systems. Members also considered emerging safety challenges for data centers, where multiple battery technologies may operate together in confined spaces.

Join the Battery Safety Community

From evolving regulations to cutting-edge testing and incident prevention, the Battery Safety Community brings together professionals working to improve safety across the battery lifecycle. NAATBatt members are invited to join the Community, contribute their expertise, and help advance practical solutions for safer battery technologies.

Li-Bridge Corner

“Mapping and Illuminating” the U.S. Defense Supply Chain: A New Executive Order and SAE J3327

On July 20, 2026, the White House announced a new executive order (EO) that will impact battery suppliers to the U.S. military: Securing America’s Defense Supply Chains and Ensuring Domestic Acquisition of Critical Minerals. 

The EO establishes a policy framework focused on strengthening U.S. defense supply chains by ensuring that critical materials, components, and finished equipment used by the military are sourced domestically or from allied nations. Section 3 establishes a 180-day timeline for developing a policy that requires prime contractors and subcontractors at all levels to map and illuminate critical supply chains for Department of War acquisitions, from raw materials through end-use products.

This “mapping and illuminating” requirement is synonymous with traceability, which has been at the heart of an SAE International standard (SAE J3327) in which Li-Bridge, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Argonne National Laboratory have been participating. SAE J3327 provides a consistent procedure for identifying and collecting traceability data related to battery materials and critical minerals and recording those data in a digital record.

The standard helps companies comply with requirements related to the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) battery production tax credits and the European Union’s (EU) digital product passport. It also reflects sourcing requirements established by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and defines practices for identifying “domestic and allied nation” sources consistent with the objectives of the new executive order.

SAE J3327 will be one of many traceability topics featured at Li-Bridge’s upcoming traceability meeting at Argonne National Laboratory on September 2 and 3, 2026.

For more information about the standard or the meeting, please contact frank.menchaca@libridge.org.

Advanced Battery Industry News

CATL and Solarpro Technology AD announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement for 2GWh (gigawatt-hours) of sodium-ion battery systems. The companies aim to commission the first sodium ion energy storage project in Central and Eastern Europe. (Source: CATL)

Ford Motor and Geely Automobile announced an agreement to form a Europe focused joint venture (JV) at Ford’s Valencia, Spain, manufacturing hub. The JV will manufacture Ford and Geely multi-energy passenger vehicles. Under the proposed ownership structure, Ford will own 66% of the JV and Geely Auto 34%. (Source: Ford Motor & Geely Auto Group) 

Brookfield announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Aypa Power from funds managed by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners for about $7 billion enterprise value. Under the terms of the agreement, Brookfield will acquire Aypa's operating and contracted project portfolio, together with its development platform; comprised of approximately 6.5GW of operating, under-construction and contracted battery storage capacity along with >20GW pipeline. (Source: Brookfield Asset Management)

ESS has signed a Letter of Intent with Juniper Energy for the deployment of over 500MWh (megawatt-hours) of sodium-ion battery energy storage deployments by 2032, beginning with a 10MW/80MWh project in California targeted for commercial operation in 2027. (Source: ESS)

BNZ has signed an agreement with Sungrow as its preferred supplier for 240MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) across its Viterbo projects in the Lazio region of Italy, specifically the Rinaldone (45MW) and Camposcala (53MW) solar plants. (Source: BNZ)

Esyasoft (an IHC subsidiary through Sirius International Holding) has signed a deal with Tesla to develop and manage a portfolio of over 15GWh of BESS across the U.K., Western Europe, the GCC and India. (Source: Esyasoft)

Jinko ESS (JinkoSolar subsidiary) and everyray have signed a 100MWh supply agreement, expanding the deployment of Jinko ESS Tera across Central Europe. (Source: Jinko Solar)

Saft (subsidiary of TotalEnergies) has been awarded a contract by Naval Group to supply lithium-ion (li-ion) battery systems for the Barracuda and Scorpene submarine families used in European defense programs. (Source: Saft)

EnerSys is refining plans for its U.S. defense-focused $500 million lithium-ion cell manufacturing facility in South Carolina. The plant is expected to establish 1 GWh of initial production capacity with construction projected to start in FY1H28. (Source: EnerSys)

OpenAI is developing its 'Project Camellia' data center in Effingham County, Georgia. The company has contracted with Georgia Power for 3.2GW of power which will be delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032. (Source: Open AI)  

The Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), MGX and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners have completed their acquisition of 100% of Aligned Data Centers’ equity from Macquarie Asset Management and co-invest partners, in a transaction valuing Aligned at approximately $40 billion. (Source: AIP+)

Hut 8 announced a second 15-year, $9.8 billion lease for 352MW of IT capacity at its Beacon Point data center campus in Texas, bringing the existing tenant's total contracted capacity to 704MW and fully commercializing the campus's 1,000MW of utility capacity. (Source: Hut 8)

MN8 Energy Holdings (MN8) will acquire Greenbacker Renewable Energy valued at about $375 million. The combination has over 6GW of operating and under construction renewable capacity across 33 states. The transaction is expected to close in 4Q26. (Source: MN8)

Einride (Stockholm-based) is acquiring Flipturn, a charging and energy management software provider for electric fleets. The acquisition will add over 250MW of charging capacity to Einride’s portfolio and support the development of a heavy-duty EV charging ecosystem in North America. (Source: Einride)

Sila has secured $300 million in funding to accelerate U.S. production of its ‘Titan Silicon®’ silicon-carbon anode technology and support a planned Phase 2 expansion at its plant in Moses Lake, Washington. (Source: Sila)

The African Development Bank has approved a €100 million ($114 million) loan to Gotion Power Morocco (Gotion High-Tech subsidiary) to support the construction of Africa's first LFP gigafactory in Morocco. The plant will initially produce 10 GWh of battery cells and packs a year for electric vehicles, with plans to expand capacity to 100 GWh. (Source: AP)

bp has agreed to sell its mobility, convenience, EV charging, and fleet businesses in Austria to volenergy AG. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2026 subject to regulatory approval. (Source: bp)

Hawaiian Electric has submitted its Integrated Grid Planning Request for Proposals seeking about 1,650GWh of variable renewable energy, 465MW of grid forming resources (i.e. solar generation plus battery storage) and 111MW of firm generating capacity, resources that can be available 24/7. Projects would be in service between 2031-2034. (Source: Hawaiian Electric)

The White House has issued the executive order “Securing America’s Defense Supply Chains and Ensuring Domestic Acquisition of Critical Materials,” directing the Department of War to reduce reliance on foreign sources for defense materials and strengthen domestic and allied supply chains. 

(Source: White House)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Labor have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate AI, automation, advanced sensors, and emerging technologies in the U.S. mining sector. (Source: U.S DOE)

VinFast has signed a MOU with TÜV Rheinland to expand vehicle testing capabilities in Vietnam through the development of the VinFast Testing Center to international standards. (Source: VinFast)

CHINT and Octopus Energy have signed two Memoranda of Cooperation to expand collaboration in renewable energy infrastructure and VPP solutions. The partnership includes CHINT supplying PV modules, inverters, BESS, transformers, smart meters, cables, and EV charging solutions, along with exploring VPP applications in China. (Source: CHINT Group)

Sungrow’s 70MW/160MWh PowerTitan 2.0 BESS for Delta Capacity in Ånge, Sweden has commenced operations. (Source: Sungrow)

Eversource, National Grid, EnergyHub, Sunrun and The Mobility House are launching a Massachusetts pilot to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities through the ConnectedSolutions program, allowing eligible residential EV owners to earn incentives by supplying flexible energy to help reduce grid strain and support reliability. (Source: Pony Communications)

Billion Electric Mobility has partnered with JK Cement to deploy over 150 heavy-duty electric trucks to support lower-emission cement transportation, beginning with twenty vehicles operating from JK Cement's Muddapur plant in Karnataka to stockyards across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa. (Source: ET Auto)

Source: CRU Group

Executive Director's Notes