Australia-based Sicona Battery Technologies has recruited construction company Bechtel to conduct an engineering study for an EV battery component manufacturing facility in the U.S., according to a Feb. 28 press release.
Bechtel will assess the needs of an anode battery component plant, to optimize area designs, utilities, equipment and materials, as well as develop a cost estimate for the project.
Sicona Founder and CEO Christiaan Jordaan said the company is focused on building its first plant in the U.S. due to “significant interest” in its battery materials from automakers in North America.
Details on the contract’s amount, timeline for the assessment as well as potential production capacity, have not been disclosed.
Brad Bucher, communications lead for Bechtel’s Manufacturing & Technology, said in an email that more details about the project will be shared in the coming months.
“Making batteries is a complex process,” Catherine Hunt Ryan, president of manufacturing and technology at Bechtel, said in a statement. “Bechtel is a trusted partner to deliver capital programs so that our customers can focus on evolving and deploying their technology.”
In September, Bechtel broke ground on Intel’s $20 billion semiconductor facility in Licking County, Ohio. The project’s first phase will consist of two semiconductor facilities and will begin operations in 2025.
