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Altech Batteries has locked in the final engineering design for its next gen sodium-nickel-chloride battery system clearing the last major hurdle before its first production next year. The company says its 400-volt units are set to roll off the line at partner AMPower's manufacturing facilities, before heading straight to Dutch gas pipeline facilities and industrial plants. The batteries are a much safer storage alternative to tradition lead-based and lithium-ion batteries.

Altech Batteries has inked a non-disclosure agreement with a major global EV battery maker for a confidential collaboration to evaluate Altech's proprietary Silumina battery anodes. Altech has shipped samples of its alumina-coated silicon to China for evaluation, while preparing coatings on partner-supplied graphite. Latest tests demonstrate 83% capacity retention after 1000 charge–discharge cycles, following addition of only 5% of Altech's Silumina anodes to a standard graphite anode.

Altech Batteries says batteries utilising similar technology to its sodium-nickel-chloride batteries deployed in South Africa up to 15 years ago have exhibited failure rates of just 0.6% to 1.5%. The company says those rates blitz the failure rates of lithium and lead-acid batteries.

Altech Batteries has run its sodium-nickel-chloride (SNC) batteries through an explosive series of safety destruction tests, with the high-tech batteries coming up trumps with zero thermal runaway, fire or explosion. A full suite of extreme safety, self-destruction tests demonstrated the game-changing mechanical and chemical stability of the batteries, passing the exhaustive testwork with flying colours.

Altech Batteries is hailing a breakthrough with a major advance in its Silumina Anodes technology, recording 88.5% capacity retention after 500 charge-discharge cycles by adding just 5% alumina-coated silicon to graphite anodes. The company's latest Silumina Anodes deliver a charge capacity of 420 mAh/g which far surpasses graphite's capacity in the range of 230-250 mAh/g. Altech's Saxony pilot plant confirms scalability, promising longer EV range and lighter batteries.

Altech Batteries has signed a collaboration agreement with Chinese battery producer AMPower to sell its sodium nickel chloride battery systems in Australia, Europe and the US. Altech has fast-tracked market entry for its fireproof, long-life alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, while advancing its CERENERGY energy storage facility project in Germany. Co-development of small and medium-sized systems will follow while protecting IP on both sides.

Altech Batteries' CERENERGY prototype cells have delivered more than 650 cycles with no capacity loss, 92 per cent energy efficiency and near-100 per cent Coulombic efficiency, outperforming conventional batteries. Its 60kWh battery pack also showed 88 per cent efficiency over more than 110 cycles with no degradation, confirming its safety under extreme conditions. A €46.7M German grant will support Altech's 120MWh Saxony facility to advance production of grid-scale energy storage.

Lithium Universe has secured exclusive rights to a patented microwave technology for greener recycling of silver and critical metals from solar photovoltaic panels, after completing its acquisition of licensee New Age Minerals. The acquisition gives Lithium Universe access to Macquarie University's innovative microwave joule heating technology, which more efficiently recovers silver from discarded photovoltaic panels.

Lithium Universe Limited has kicked off a pioneering project to extract silver from discarded photovoltaic solar panels, leveraging technology developed by scientists at Macquarie University in Sydney. Global silver demand is set to reach a record 680 million ounces in 2025, driven by a 7% compound annual growth rate in industrial use, photovoltaics and artificial intelligence, triggering an anticipated 117.6-million-ounce market deficit.

Aspiring mineral producer Lithium Universe has snapped up the global rights to an innovative microwave technology designed by Macquarie University in Sydney, to simplify the separation of silicon and valuable metals in solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels. The company has entered a binding agreement to acquire Macquarie-owned New Age Minerals, which holds the exclusive licensing agreement to use and commercialise the new-age recycling technology.

Lithium Universe is on the hunt for a minimum 10 years' worth of spodumene supply from local producers to feed its future Canadian lithium refinery, which it expects to kick-start the conversion of the battery mineral at the refinery in 2028. The company is seeking a large supply to help lock in its required project finance, having reached a final investment decision earlier this year for the project to kick into gear.

Altech Batteries is pumping out its high-tech Silumina anodes from its German pilot plant, marking a milestone for the company as it supplies first product to potential customers for testing and sets itself up for future commercial production. The new-age technology has achieved a significant breakthrough by coating silicon particles with alumina, boosting the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries by up to 55 per cent.

Altech Batteries has locked in the backing of a major shareholder, German-based investment firm Deutsche Balaton AG, by securing funding via a bond note facility for up to €2.5 million (A$4.3m) to further develop its new-age battery projects. The company has land in Johor, Malaysia, for sale and expects the proceeds will be sufficient to repay any borrowed funds.

Altech Batteries has secured the necessary environmental and construction permit to build the company's Cerenergy GridPack production facility in Saxony, Germany, and can now focus on locking in pr

Lithium Universe has approved a final investment to progress its Bécancour lithium refinery in Canada and will now aim to secure US$549m (A$862m) in funding for the project, which has a net present value of US$718m (A$1.128b). The project is expected to generate EBITDA of US$148m from annual revenue of US$383m with a 3.9-year payback based on current price assumptions.

Lithium Universe has partnered with a research-focussed Canadian engineering school, Polytechnique Montreal, to drive innovation in lithium processing in the country and increase local expertise in battery metals to improve its supply chain. The initial five-year deal, outlined in a memorandum of understanding, will focus on three key areas: industry education, curriculum development and R&D collaboration.

Lithium Universe has inked a non-binding memorandum of understanding to exclusively supply a key cement additive to Canada's biggest cement manufacturer, Lafarge Canada. Aluminosilicate is made up of silica, aluminium oxide and ferric oxide and will be a secondary byproduct from the lithium carbonate production circuit at Lithium Universe's planned Bécancour refinery in Quebec.

Altech Batteries has been awarded “Dark Green” certification, the highest rating offered by global ratings agency S&P, for its salt battery project, opening the door to funding from the massive green bond market. The company believes the accolade has underscored the project's potential to redefine battery technology and shines a light on what it says is possibly the greenest battery technology available today.

Altech Batteries has sealed a third offtake agreement with Axsol GmbH, a defence market renewable energy solutions supplier for NATO based in Germany. The partnership is set to provide Axsol with up to 120MWh of energy storage over the first five years from Altech's groundbreaking lithium-ion battery alternative Cerenergy solid-state salt batteries.

Lithium Universe has inked a strategic chemical supply deal with Quebec-based logistics company Servitank which the company believes will improve the operational efficiency of its proposed Canadian Bécancour lithium refinery project. The partnership will bring much needed expertise in chemical logistics and supply chain optimisation to the project, positioning Servitank as a key partner of the company.

Altech has locked in a second offtake agreement, this time with Reflau, a renewable energy project in Germany, to supply it with 158MWh of storage energy capacity over 5 years from its salt powered batteries. Only a few days ago Altech revealed it has received interest to fund its manufacturing facility in Germany.

Altech Batteries has received interest from debt funders for its cutting-edge proposed sodium chloride battery project that it plans to build using a mix of debt, equity, government grants and offtake agreements. The company is planning to produce its “Cerenergy GridPack” batteries courtesy of a 120MWh manufacturing facility in Germany. Remarkably, the active ingredient in the batteries is plain table salt.

Subiaco-based Altech Batteries has supercharged its alumina-coated silicon anodes to boost the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries by 55 per cent after combining graphite with its high-tech anodes. The company says the game-changing results stem from its strategy to coat silicon particles with alumina, overcoming previous drawbacks associated with using silicone as an anode material.

Altech Batteries has clocked up a key milestone with the successful launch of its first 60kWh “Cerenergy” sodium-chloride battery prototype in Germany. The company says the battery unit, which has been installed at the Fraunhofer IKTS lab in Dresden, has passed all physical tests with “flying colours” and has smashed through forecast performance and efficiency expectations in the rigorous daily assessments.

Lithium Universe has defied market trends to post an upbeat prefeasibility study for its Bécancour lithium carbonate refinery in the Canadian city of Québec, delivering a pre-tax NPV of US$779 million (AU$1.17 billion) and an annual EBITDA of US$147 million (AU$221 million) in its bid to service the growing North American market and fill the conversion gap by reducing the need for Chinese product.

Altech Batteries has inked a letter of intent to supply 30 of its 1MWh Cerenergy GridPack sodium chloride batteries annually to be used at a major German industrial park for energy storage as part of a five-year deal starting in 2027. The agreement has been struck with consultancy firm Zweckverband Industriepark Schwarze Pumpe, which oversees the park in the Lusatia region of south-east Germany.

ASX-listed Lithium Universe has joined forces with the traditional landowners of the site near Québec City in Canada where the company is planning to construct its Bécancour Lithium Refinery. Management has formed a joint committee with the W8banaki Nation's tribal council to assist with site impact assessment and the construction of the facility while it completes a definitive feasibility study for the project.

Altech Batteries says cells for its “Cerenergy” sodium chloride battery prototypes have shown “higher-than-expected” energy capacities during a testing program at several Fraunhofer IKTS facilities in Germany. The company has today confirmed it has completed the fabrication, assembly and initialisation of all 240 cells for the first prototype at its pilot plant and expects to mount the finished modules into a full “BatteryPack” next week.

Lithium Universe has cleared another key component in its plans to develop the proposed Bécancour lithium refinery in Canada after the successful completion of two environmental field studies at the site. In February, the company secured a prime location for its proposed refinery after executing an option agreement to purchase a commercial property in the province of Quebec.

Lithium Universe says it is making significant progress in definitive feasibility study work for its proposed Bécancour lithium refinery in Canada, with process flow sheets and stream tables already finalised. The company has plans for a 16,000 tonnes per annum battery-grade lithium carbonate refinery in the North American nation, with heavyweight engineering firm Hatch commissioned to undertake a comprehensive study for the refinery's design.

A recent trip to several Chinese lithium producers has reinforced Lithium Universe's commitment to building its proposed 16,000 tonnes per annum battery-grade lithium carbonate refinery in Canada. The trip, undertaken by the company's key management figures, took in the Jiangsu lithium carbonate refinery that was built by Lithium Universe executives Iggy Tan, Dr Jingyuan Liu and John Loxton during their time with Galaxy Resources.

Altech Batteries has revealed a compelling set of numbers for its planned Cerenergy battery project in Germany, with its DFS forecasting a NPV of €169 million and annual revenue of €106 million generating EBITDA earnings of a juicy €51million per annum. The company says capital cost estimates of €156 million and a steady-state payback period of 3.7 years add to the project's appeal.

Lithium Universe has secured a prime location for its proposed battery-grade lithium carbonate refinery in Canada after executing an option agreement to purchase a commercial property in the province of Quebec. The location for the facility is between Quebec City and Montreal at the Bécancour Industrial Waterfront Hub, with heavyweight engineering firm Hatch to undertake a comprehensive study for the refinery's design.

Lithium Universe has initiated key metallurgical testwork on different spodumene types from all around the globe, with a view to creating a robust stream of feedstock for its proposed lithium refinery project in Quebec. The battery-grade lithium carbonate refinery has been designed to mirror the Jiangsu Lithium Carbonate Plant and will be able to process spodumene from any part of the world.

Altech Batteries is getting closer to producing its Cerenergy solid-state battery pack that uses ordinary table-variety salt following an upgrade which has transformed its previously small trial batteries up to a 60kWh capacity. The upgrade came after Altech established a strategic joint venture with Germany's Fraunhofer IKTS, which had initially developed battery packs with 5kWh and 10kWh capacities for testing.

Lithium Universe has laid the foundation for a targeted assault with the drill bit at its Apollo lithium project in Quebec having completed soil sampling, airborne magnetic surveys and related fieldwork, with the rods expected to start turning early in the new year. The fieldwork included 666km of mapping and sampling traverses, with 209 rock chip samples being collected over much of the company's 240 square kilometre Apollo permit area.

Lithium Universe says a study into its lithium carbonate refinery at its burgeoning Québec processing hub suggests it should produce a final lithium carbonate product grading between 99.5 and 99.9 per cent. The refinery is rated to 16,000 tonnes per annum, with an assumed feed grade of 5.5 per cent lithium oxide. Hatch has completed the study and a construction site has been selected.

Lithium Universe is stepping closer to launching a definitive feasibility study on its Apollo project in Canada after expediting the engineering design for its 1-million-tonne per year lithium processing hub's stand-alone concentrator. The plant is designed for an assumed feed grade of 1.1 per cent lithium oxide, with the output expected to be about 140,000 tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate grading 5.5 per cent.

Altech Batteries says a decision to remove graphite from a definitive feasibility study into its Silumina Anodes pilot plant in Germany has triggered an “eightfold” output increase to 8000 tonnes per annum of alumina-coated silicon. The modified study, which reveals the increase from 1000 tonnes per annum, is in response to customer preferences and has been achieved with no change to the plant or equipment.

ASX-listed Lithium Universe has decided on the perfect location for its 16,000-tonne per annum lithium carbonate refinery to service its Eastern Canadian lithium processing hub after assessing more than 20 prospective sites. The company appointed heavyweight engineering firm, Hatch, to undertake a comprehensive study for the design and location of the refinery in the Canadian State of Quebec.