The company, based in Perth, plans to open a battery gigafactory that will scale up from repackaging battery cells produced overseas to locally manufacturing five gigawatts of battery storage by 2027.
Loading
At full scale, the factory could employ 750 local workers, Prainito said, and provide large batteries for mining firms’ micro grids, as well as smaller models for household solar energy storage.
The batteries will be produced using environmentally friendly technology from Hong Kong firm GRST which won The Earthshot Prize in 2023.
The process uses a water-soluble composite to bind battery elements together, Auzvolt chief operating office Michael Yap said, which makes the batteries slightly cheaper to produce and allows them to be broken down for recycling more easily.
“For us, it’s not just a mission driven by a green message,” he said.
“This translates into real economics, both at a production level and also when we need to recover and reuse those materials again.”
Prainito said the company expected to hear the outcome of its grant application within days.
Demand for batteries is expected to increase by 30 per cent worldwide each year until 2030, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and skilled workers in the electricity sector will be highly sought after.
Research from the University of Technology Sydney recently forecast jobs in the electricity sector to double by 2029, representing an increase of 33,000 workers.
