Battery cell maker Statevolt buys site for Gigafactory in California

Statevolt, one of three lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell development companies founded by Swedish entrepreneur Lars Carlstrom, on Monday announced it has bought a 135-acre site in Imperial Valley, California, where it plans to build a 54-GWh production facility.

Statevolt is a sister company of Italvolt SpA, both set up by Carlstrom for the purpose of building so-called Gigafactories in different markets. According to the latest announcement, Italvolt is advancing the development of its own 45-GWh Gigafactory in Italy.

The US entity, on the other hand, intends to construct a facility near the lithium-rich Salton Sea to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and storage applications. It is planned with the capacity to produce batteries for 650,000 EVs a year.

“The Inflation Reduction Act has opened up new opportunities and incentives for strategic sectors like ours, helping the US establish itself as the global leader in clean energy solutions,” Carlstrom stated.

AECOM is now in charge of conducting due diligence for the project, which is seen to create up to 2,500 full-time jobs in Imperial Valley. Meanwhile, Controlled Thermal Resources Ltd (CTR) has agreed to supply locally sourced lithium, and geothermal power from its Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power plant.

Carlstrom is also the founder of Britishvolt, though, he left the company in 2020. He told the BBC at the time that he was stepping aside because he did not want to become a distraction given prior allegations of tax fraud he faced in Sweden. According to Carlstrom, he later received the endorsement of the Swedish government.

A week ago, it was unveiled that Britishvolt has entered into administration after failing to secure long-term funding for its GBP-3.8-billion (USD 4.67bn/EUR 4.3bn) plan in Blyth, Northumberland.

(GBP 1 = USD 1.229/EUR 1.132)

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