Altech Group (ASX: ATC)

CERENERGY® Batteries Project

Altech Batteries Ltd is a specialty battery technology company that has a joint venture agreement with world leading German battery institute Fraunhofer IKTS (“IKTS”) to commercialise the revolutionary CERENERGY® Sodium Alumina Solid State (SAS) Battery.

CERENERGY® batteries are the game-changing alternative to lithium-ion batteries. CERENERGY® batteries are fire and explosion-proof; have a life span of more than 15 years and operate in extreme cold and desert climates. The battery technology uses table salt and is lithium-free; cobalt-free; graphite-free; and copper-free, eliminating exposure to critical metal price rises and supply chain concerns.

The joint venture is commercialising its CERENERGY® battery, with plans to construct a 100Mwh production facility on Altech’s land in Saxony, Germany. The facility intends to produce 10,000 10Kwh CERENERGY® battery modules per annum to provide grid storage solutions to the market. 

 

Silumina AnodesTM Project

Altech has licensed its proprietary high purity alumina coating technology to 75% owned subsidiary Altech Industries Germany GmbH (AIG), which has commenced a definitive feasibility study for the development of a 10,000tpa silicon/graphite alumina coating plant in the state of Saxony, Germany to supply its Silumina AnodesTM product to the burgeoning European electric vehicle market.

This Company recently announced its game-changing technology of incorporating high-capacity silicon in lithium-ion batteries. Through in-house R&D, the Company has cracked the “silicon code” and successfully achieved a 30% higher energy battery with improved cyclability or battery life. Higher density batteries result in smaller, lighter batteries and substantially fewer greenhouse gases, and are the future of the EV market. The Company’s proprietary silicon graphite product is registered as Silumina AnodesTM.

The Company is in the race to get its patented technology to market and recently announced the results of a preliminary feasibility study (PFS) for the construction of a 10,000tpa Silumina AnodeTM material plant at AIG’s 14-hectare industrial site within the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park in Saxony, Germany. The European graphite and silicon feedstock supply partners for this plant will be SGL Carbon and Ferroglobe. The project has also received green accreditation from the independent Norwegian Centre of International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO). To support the development, AIG has commenced construction of a pilot plant adjacent to the proposed project site to allow the qualification process for its Silumina AnodesTM product. AIG has executed NDAs with two German automakers as well as a European-based battery company. 

 

HPA Project

Altech is also further aiming to become a supplier of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia, and has finalized Stage 1 and Stage 2 construction of its HPA plant in Johor, Malaysia. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from the Company’s 100%-owned near surface kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia, and shipped to Malaysia.

The HPA project is significantly de-risked with a bankable feasibility study completed, senior lender project finance from German government-owned KfW IPEX-Bank approved, and a German EPC contractor appointed – with initial construction works at the site completed. In addition to the senior debt, conservative (bank case) cash flow modeling of the HPA plant shows a pre-tax net present value of USD 505.6million at a discount rate of 7.5%.

The project generates annual average net free cash of ~USD76million at full production. Altech is in the final stages of project finance with a potential raising of US$100m of secondary debt via the listed green bond market. In addition, US$100m of project equity is being sought through potential project joint venture partners.