Sicona Battery Technologies secures $45 million grant from ARENA for silicon-carbon anode plant in Wollongong

Type: Financing · Technology: Storage · Country: Australia · Value: $45M · Announced: 2026-07-02

Australian battery technology company Sicona Battery Technologies secured a USD 45 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to build and operate its first commercial-scale silicon-carbon battery anode facility in the Illawarra region of Wollongong. The funding, awarded through ARENA's Battery Breakthrough Initiative, will enable Sicona to scale production of its proprietary silicon-carbon anode material, SiCx, to up to 230 tonnes per annum for customer qualification and commercial sales. Sicona and BlueScope Steel have signed an exclusivity agreement to assess developing the facility within BlueScope's Port Kembla precinct, leveraging the steelmaker's industrial infrastructure. The company's SiCx material is designed to integrate with existing lithium-ion battery production lines, offering a 20% increase in energy density and enabling charging speeds over 40% faster than conventional graphite anodes. ARENA CEO Darren Miller noted that the technology has undergone independent testing and is already under evaluation by global battery manufacturers and electric vehicle companies.

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