Altech (ASX:ATC) Altech augment Silumina production
With no change to the plant or equipment, Altech Batteries has expanded the DFS output of its Silumina Project by eightfold to 120 gigawatt hours for production of 8000 tonnes per annum of alumina-coated metallurgical silicon as it finalises the study over its German operations.
The expansion caters to long-term industry demands of silicon-type anodes for customer’s integration into graphite within their own battery plants, resulting in the eightfold output of the active component.
Initially considering coating graphite with alumina at the plant, Altech research demonstrated the cost-to-reward ratio was relatively small, and the all-silicon move is expected to show up substantially on the bottom line of project economics.
Altech Managing Director Iggy Tan said it represents a notable advancement in its business strategy, emphasising an increasing demand for higher-density batteries and the necessity to reduce reliance on graphite in the wake of Chinese export restrictions.
Mr Tan said the incorporation of Altech alumina-coated silicon would be a part of addressing the graphite concerns, with an enhanced business model indicating a rosy outlook on its own future endeavours.
Watch Iggy Tan’s interview with The Captial Compass here:
Graphite grab
Battery producers face the choice of higher energy density or to maintain while reducing graphite content and the associated costs, but Chinese restrictions have begun to create limitations for western manufacturers.
Altech has publicly announced discussions with its European silicon partner Ferroglobe to boost metallurgical silicon supply for enhanced Silumina Anodes but is under NDA wraps with the prominent western automotive conglomerates it says have a keen interest in acquiring commercial samples.
The company’s Perth lab is limited in production, so larger samples will have to be produced from a Pilot Plant in the German state of Saxony which is expected to be up and running early next year.
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