Altech Chemicals Ltd (ASX:ATC)’s 75%-owned German subsidiary, Altech Industries Germany GmbH (AIG), has taken up the option to buy a ~14-hectare industrial site in Saxony, Germany.
ATC intends to build a 10,000 tonnes per annum high purity alumina (HPA) battery materials coating plant on site.
The proposed plant is subject of a preliminary feasibility study that is being finalised by AIG.
This plant would produce alumina coated silicon/graphite anode materials to supply the lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle (EV) markets, using Altech’s proprietary coating technology.
The German location gives it excellent access to European markets.
An official land handover ceremony was recently concluded at the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park, with the Saxony State Minister for Development Thomas Schmidt, the Mayor of Spreetal, Saxony Manfred Peine and Lady Major of Spremberg, Brandenburg Christine Herntier all in attendance.
Dignitaries looking over the proposed site for a battery materials coating pilot plant, in Dock 3.
Members of the board of Altech Advanced Materials AG (AAM) and several other political and industrial dignitaries were also present.
About the Industrial Park
The Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park is in north-eastern Saxony and is well serviced by existing infrastructure including reticulated electricity and natural gas, rail and roads.
It is just 120 kilometres from Berlin and 78 kilometres from Dresden and sits in an area considered to be the new automotive nucleus in Europe.
The area hosts production sites for Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche, Daimler (ETR:DAI) and Tesla, as well as a number of key resource and technology players within the value chain of lithium-ion batteries.
The region is a leading engineering training ground and has excellent research facilities including the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano-systems, which is very focused on ceramic (HPA) nanotechnology in energy storage.
About ATC
ATC is a specialty alumina technology and production company that has finalised Stage 1 and Stage 2 construction of its high purity alumina (HPA) plant in Johor, Malaysia, and continues with innovative research and development of its downstream alumina coating technology used to improve the battery life and performance in lithium-ion batteries.
ATC’s alumina coating technology is successful on both silicon and graphite particles, typical of those used in the anode of lithium-ion batteries, particularly within the burgeoning electric vehicle industry.
Along with its plant in Germany, the company is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al 2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500 tonnes per annum high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia.
Feedstock for this plant will be sourced from its 100%-owned near surface kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia, and shipped to Malaysia.