Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Johnson Matthey Goes North To Finland For Battery Materials Plant (JMAT:London)

Johnson Matthey is a very interesting player in the energy transition metals but I frankly wasn't thinking big enough, just the platinum and palladium for hydrogen catalysts, whereas this news is a whole new ballgame.

From The Barents Observer:

With nickel from Kola, Finnish city of Vaasa chosen for battery materials plant
As European carmakers ramp up production of electric vehicles, the Nordic region takes a lead role in battery production. 

Sustainable technology company Johnson Matthey on Monday announced strategic partnership with Finnish Minerals Group and the city of Vaasa to build a large battery materials factory.

Russia’s Nornickel will supply nickel and cobalt from its Harjavalta refinery in Finland and from the refinery in Monchegorsk on the Kola Peninsula.

Construction work in Vaasa is set to start as soon as this autumn and the plant is planned to be in operation from 2024, the local facilitator in Vaasa informs.

Vaasa was in 2017 on the shortlist of possible locations for Northvolt’s Giga battery factory, now under construction in Skellefteå on the Swedish side of the Bothnia bay.

“We are pleased to announce our plant will be located in Vaasa – a region that aims to create an ecosystem of sustainable technologies. Vaasa has a favorable battery materials ecosystem, offering reliable access to renewable energy, sustainable raw materials and proximity to major European automotive OEM and cell manufacturers,” said Robert MacLeod, CEO of Johnson Matthey in a prepared statement.

Mayor of Vaasa, Tomas Häyry underlines the region’s ambitions for becoming a leader in sustainable technologies.

“In Vaasa, we have the possibility to develop the greenest battery value chain in the world,” Häyry said....

....MUCH MORE