Chalk up another win for advanced battery production in Washington State. Group 14 Technologies landed a $200 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The grant will allow the company to build a new plant to produce silane gas, an essential ingredient in manufacturing next-gen battery materials.
The new plant will be built in Moses Lake, where Group 14 already has its BAM-2 factory. When production begins near the end of the year, the company will be the largest manufacturer of a patented silicon-carbon battery material in the world. The plant can produce more than 7,200 tons of silane gas annually.
“This federal investment affirms that the State of Washington is leading the way on advanced battery manufacturing,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) noted in a statement announcing the grant. Cantwell was a proponent of battery programs contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which made the grant possible.
Silane replaces the graphite traditionally used in the anode of lithium batteries. The material can increase battery power by up to 50% and reduce charging times. Silane has been made primarily in China, but federal government efforts to re-shore advanced manufacturing are beginning to pay off. Demand for high-performance batteries has never been greater, from powering semi trucks to personal electronics.
The Moses Lake facility will create more than 300 construction jobs and 150 employees to commission, ramp up and sustain production. Its proximity to local silicon battery plants will alleviate a critical supply chain bottleneck.
The company’s BAM-1 (Battery Active Materials) factory has been manufacturing at the ton scale since 2021, delivering products to more than 100 customers. The BAM-2 factory will be the world’s largest advanced silicon battery materials facility.