US announces $1.3 billion loan for battery separator plant
Once complete, the ENTEK facility is expected to have the capacity to manufacture 1.72 billion square meters of separator material annually for the North American EV market.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has finalized a loan of USD 1.3 billion to ENTEK to finance a lithium-ion battery separators plant in Terre Haute, Indiana.
ENTEK is a US-owned and US-based producer of ‘wet-process’ lithium-ion battery separator materials.
“The separators will be used primarily in electric vehicles (EVs)—strengthening the US lithium-ion battery cells supply chain and enabling the creation of batteries used in advanced technology vehicles,” the DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) said in a statement.
This project supports America’s expansion of secure, reliable, clean energy domestic supply chains key to reaching the country’s ambitious climate goals while reducing reliance on economic competitors like China, the LPO said.
The project is expected to create 763 construction jobs and 635 operational jobs.
The principal functions of a battery separator are to prevent electronic conduction (i.e., shorts or direct contact) between the anode and cathode while permitting ionic conduction via the electrolyte. Separators play an essential role in the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries.
“For forty years, ENTEK has been serving the battery separator component needs of its customers with a commitment to productivity and innovation that our customers require for their battery applications,” said ENTEK CEO Larry Keith. “The separator is a critical battery component responsible for the safety of the lithium batteries that we are increasingly relying on in many aspects of both our daily lives and as a country as we move to compete globally in energy storage critical to our national security.”
DOE estimates that by 2030, the North American lithium-ion EV battery industry will require annual separator production of 7 to 10 billion square meters.
Once complete, the ENTEK facility is expected to have the capacity to manufacture 1.72 billion square meters of separator material annually for the North American EV market.
“ENTEK is a technology company at its core with expertise in equipment design and fabrication, process technologies, and materials science,” said ENTEK CTO Richard Pekala. “These competencies make ENTEK the right company to lead the US expansion of separator component manufacturing.”
“ENTEK will be able to customize battery separators to accommodate numerous EV battery designs. The separators produced will be able to accommodate all existing lithium-ion EV battery chemistries, including NMC, NCA, LMFP, and LFP,” the DOE’s Loan Program Office said. “Additionally, ENTEK will be able to sell its separators to manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage applications.”
