Norwegian Battery Maker Could Expand in Richland With More Jobs

More jobs may open in Richland, if a battery manufacturer chooses to expand here.

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The Richland City Council has authorized the sale of a 50-acre site to the Norwegian based business, Cenate, a battery materials company. According to Cenate.com:

Preparations for a first commercial production in Norway has now in 2023 commenced in parallel with plans for a first full scale commercial production in US.

The 40,000 square foot facility at the Northwest advanced Clean Energy Park is one of two proposed locations the company is considering. The other proposed location is in Butte, Montana. A decision is expected to be announced in mid-2024.

What would Cenate be producing at the facility?

The company develops and produces silicon-containing anode materials used in lithium batteries. In a press release, Cenate's CEO Erik Sauer said:

“With strong market interest for our groundbreaking silicon anode products and impressive in-house test results, we proudly unveil our preparations for commercial production in both Norway and the US,”

“We are also in the advanced stages of planning a maiden US production unit, capable of generating approximately 20 GWh/year of anode materials. This facility will subsequently scale up to achieve an impressive output of 100 GWh/year.”

According to reports, the Richland City Council signed the resolution authorizing the sale to Cenate on November 29th. Should Cenate choose Richland for it's first US plant, it's estimated that 250 living-wage jobs would be available.