The US DOE, 6K Energy sign $50M grant agreement

6K Energy, a division of 6K and provider of sustainable production of materials for lithium-ion batteries, announced the execution of a $50M award with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains for its PlusCAM battery material production plant located in Jackson, Tennessee. The $50M award will go toward the >$200M construction cost for the PlusCAM factory.

PlusCAM will leverage the company’s proprietary UniMeltÒ microwave plasma technology for cathode active material (CAM) production. UniMelt plasma enables 6K Energy to deliver CAM for both NMC and LFP at an appreciably lower cost than Chinese suppliers, with superior ESG metrics including significantly lower energy consumption and emitting far less carbon emissions. The PlusCAM facility will be the model for supplying battery material to major automotive OEMs and suppliers such as 6K investor Stellantis and EU auto manufacturers.

“The national concern is focused on onshoring battery cells, but it’s severely misguided. The most critical item needed to break our reliance on China is CAM. No other production technology, other than UniMelt plasma, is capable of producing CAM with acceptable ESG levels and at costs lower than Asia,” said Sam Trinch, president, 6K Energy. “We are negotiating offtake agreements to commit our PlusCAM capacity, and the $50M grant helps us reach full-scale production beginning in late 2024 to meet our customer’s CAM supply requirements.”

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains is managing a portfolio of projects to build out the domestic battery supply chain and grow US manufacturing of batteries and battery materials for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid. 6K Energy’s PlusCAM facility, scheduled to open in Q4 2024, will be the first sustainable production facility in the US with industry leading ESG metrics such as zero hazardous liquid or solid waste, 90% less water use, lower energy consumption, and far less carbon emissions than legacy production technologies.

“The $50M grant will be used for construction of the facility and workforce development to ensure our employees have the safest work environment, high-value training programs, and a positive working experience across the board in our Jackson, Tennessee facility,” COO for 6K Energy, Rob Davies said. 

6K Energy’s PlusCAM production plant will be a 160,000 sq/ft facility with an annual capacity of 13kt per annum of multiple cathode active materials, including NMC and LFP chemistries. The company has begun hiring in Jackson, and expects to have approximately 230 employees when the factory is at full-scale capacity.