Aligning to Australia’s Battery Vision
With its vast natural resources, manufacturing capabilities, strategic trading partners and a skilled workforce, Australia has all the right ingredients for an end-to-end supply chain for batteries. Why then is Australia not a world leader in manufacturing?
In pursuit of a vision for end-to-end battery supply chain in Australia, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources released the National Battery Strategy in May 2024. This strategy outlines a plan to harness Australia’s unique strengths and secure its economic resilience through the development of a robust battery industry. This includes everything from mining and processing to manufacturing and recycling, aiming to position Australia as a leading player in the global battery market by 2035.
Wave International’s Alignment with the National Battery Strategy
We are at the forefront of the global supply chains for energy transition technology, including batteries. As we observe the expansion of cell capacity globally, and support our projects up the supply chain, we take away observations relevant to Australia.
At a headline level, without a car industry onshore, cell manufacture in Australia is a challenging thesis. High labour and electricity costs create additional headwinds. However, there are a number of niche applications where Australia can take steps towards a domestic end to end supply chain and provide a platform for future growth.
At Wave International, we have been supporting such initiatives even before the National Battery Strategy was released, and to our delight we found these efforts align strongly with the pillars presented in the May 2024 strategy.
Below is an overview of the government priorities, and how we align against them.
Priority 1: Help Build Battery Manufacturing Capabilities
We have worked with several parties in assessing the investment thesis for battery manufacturing in Australia across both Lithium-Ion, next generation solid state lithium and vanadium redox flow battery technologies for deployment into military, grid (and micro grid) storage, and non-private vehicle industry sectors. We use our global knowledge of manufacturing in other domiciles to identify which manufacturing is suited to being on shored in Australia and guide our clients through the scoping of their investment.
Priority 2: Knowledge and Skills
Through our domestic and international teams, we have leading technical knowledge in relation to battery technology, technology readiness and economic factors which is utilised in assessing supply chain investments.
Priority 3: Global Supply Chains
We are uniquely involved in all aspects of the global supply chains for advanced materials used in batteries of all kinds. This knowledge allows us to support its clients in identifying offshore partners and suppliers of key technology / materials.
Priority 4: Sustainability, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and Circular Economy
We have been a specialist contributor to various global battery materials supply chain ESG studies and understand where Australia has competitive advantages in this space. We advise our clients when considering locational studies on such matters, such that ESG is considered in the investment decision process.
Priority 4: Bringing all levels of Government Together
We are a member of the Australian Mining and Exploration Companies organisation (AMEC), and via AMEC we participate as an industry player with all levels of government in relation to specific aspects of critical minerals and battery development.
Our Role in High Value Opportunities (HVO) for Australia
We take pride in our contribution to three of the four critical HVOs outlined in the battery strategy.
1. Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for Renewable Grids
We are active on multiple projects involving renewable supply for resources operations and battery energy storage systems for grid-based storage, providing technical and economic evaluations for our clients. We examine these opportunities in a technology agnostic way and identifies the optimal storage type to suit the particular demand.
2. Supplying Battery Active Materials Globally
We have been leading the Australian industry for nearly a decade in the development of onshore active materials including natural graphite anode material, synthetic graphite anode material, lithium hydroxide, nickel sulphate and vanadium electrolyte. Our designs have been realised in some of Australia’s first of a kind plant constructed and commissioned in these chemicals.
3. Innovating for Safer Batteries
We have a current project whereby we are co-developing (along with our client) next generation battery materials that yield lithium batteries which are even safer than those in the market today.
Moving Forward Together
We are excited to be a part of Australia’s journey toward becoming a world leader in the battery industry. Our alignment with the National Battery Strategy underscores our dedication to not only advancing our own interests but also contributing to the nation’s economic resilience and social and environmental sustainability.
As we look towards 2035, we are committed to continuing our support for the goals outlined in the National Battery Strategy. Through collaboration, innovation, and a shared vision, we believe that together, we can realise the full potential of Australia’s battery industry.
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