Geelong battery lithium-ion factory plans unveiled

New concept images for a large-scale battery factory that could support “thousands” of jobs at Avalon have been revealed.

Concept image of Recharge Industries new large-scale lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility at Avalon.

New concept images for a large-scale battery facility that could support “thousands” of jobs at Geelong have been revealed.

Recharge Industries this week announced plans for a lithium-ion battery cell production facility – dubbed a “gigafactory” – at Avalon.

At the moment batteries from these materials, used in building electric vehicles, are sourced largely from the United States and China.

The company has already secured production equipment for the first production line, which is scheduled to arrive in Australia in late May.

Pictured: Rob Fitzpatrick, CEO of Recharge Industries (left) and Dave Hay, Chief Scale Officer, Recharge Industries (right).

At full capacity, the project would generate up to 30 gigawatts hours of storage capacity.

It’s understood the project is in its detailed design phase, with plans for the facility’s construction now underway.

Recharge Industries chief executive Rob Fitzpatrick said the factory would create “thousands” of jobs and “attract large-scale investment from key players in Australia, the Indo-Pacific region, and other parts of the world”.

“Establishing a sovereign manufacturing capability to produce state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery cells is critical to Australia’s renewable energy economy – meeting national demand, generating export income and securing supply chains,” he said.

Expected to open by 2026, the Geelong facility would initially produce 6GWh of batteries a year before scaling up.

The company will partner with Accenture to deliver the project.

Accenture managing director Soeren Schrader said projects like the factory would allow encourage companies and nations to speed up their energy transitions

“Recharge Industries’ advanced manufacturing facility in Geelong will go a long way in helping the Australian industry tackle these challenges,” he said.

“This project is a testament to our deep engineering and industry expertise.”

It comes after experts from a range of sectors met to discuss the hub’s technical needs.

“Australia has a choice: to be a follower or a leader in the world’s inevitable move to renewable energy,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“As a provider of the critical element for reliable green power distribution – storage – Recharge Industries is moving assuredly, with global leaders and key decision-makers, to create a domestically-strong supply chain.

“The economic resilience this offers will be a boon for local employment and investment, and pay dividends for the Victorian and Australian people, for decades to come.”

Originally published as Geelong battery lithium-ion factory plans unveiled