Greece's PPC to build 45MW/91MWh Bess in Romania

: Battery materials
26/07/22

Greek utility PPC will build a 45MW/91MWh battery energy storage system (Bess) at the site of its Fantanele-Vest wind farm in Romania.

The new Bess capacity will be added at the 262.5MW Fantanele-Vest onshore wind farm in southeastern Romania. The plant is part of a larger 600MW Fantanele-Cogealac wind cluster, which was acquired by PPC in 2024.

The project will be partly financed by money from the EU's modernisation fund, which is set to cover about 8pc of project costs or 8.2mn lei (€1.6mn).

Romanian Bess capacity stood at 1.68GWh at the beginning of July, up from 914GWh at the start of the year.

By Jessamy Guest

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26/07/23

Australia's Syrah cuts Mozambique graphite output in 2Q

Sydney, 23 July (Argus) — Australian graphite producer Syrah Resources has reduced natural graphite production at its Balama mine in Mozambique in April-June because of weak demand and higher than usual diesel costs during the quarter. Syrah cut production by 65pc on the year to 2,000t because of weak ex-China demand for natural graphite fines and approximately 50pc higher diesel prices in Mozambique during the quarter on the back of the US-Iran war, the company said on 23 July. Output was also lower on the quarter by 90pc. Its April-June output represented residual production from the previous quarter, with the next round of production deferred to the July-September quarter, the company said. The mine has capacity to quickly scale up production to meet new demand. Syrah undertook planned maintenance during the quarter which will ensure reliable production throughout the rest of the year, the company said. The company's sales rose by 983pc on the year to 7,000t as the company drew on existing inventory to service sales (see table) . Sales were particularly low in the same quarter a year earlier due to civil unrest at the Balama mine , which disrupted access to the mine for six months until May 2025 . Mozambique policy uncertainty The Mozambique parliament officially enacted a new mining law in early June . This will increase mandatory government participation in mining projects from 5pc to 15pc and introduce more stringent regulations on domestic value addition and in-country processing, but the implementation of these changes and their impact on its Balama mine and downstream refining activities is still unclear, Syrah said. The government currently owns 5pc of Balama through Twigg Exploration and Mining. Syrah produced 150t of active anode material (AAM) at its 11,250 t/yr Vidalia facility in the US during the quarter for testing and quality validation as it engages with potential customers. The company has signed a 8,000 t/yr offtake deal with US automaker Tesla covering 70pc of Vidalia's output. The company will begin AAM sales from Vidalia by the end of this year, pending customer qualification. It has plans to expand the facility to 45,000 t/yr but has not outlined a financing timeline. By Daniel Gage-Brown Syrah quarterly graphite output ('000t) Apr-Jun '26 Apr-Jun '25 y-o-y ± % Jan-Mar '26 m-o-m ± % Production 2 7 -65 24 -90 Sales 7 1 983 20 -68 Inventory 11 7 57 16 -31 Source: Syrah Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Illinois to open EV rebate program in August

26/07/22

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26/07/22

Illinois to open EV rebate program in August

Houston, 22 July (Argus) — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will launch its next electric vehicle (EV) rebate program, offering up to $4,000 from 1 August to 31 December. New or used EVs with a selling price up to $80,000 on the bill of sale are eligible for a $2,000 rebate. Low-income applicants can receive an additional $2,000. Buyers must apply within 180 days of the purchase date. Eligible applicants' income cannot exceed 500pc of the federal poverty line. The Illinois General Assembly has allocated about $14mn for the current fiscal year ending 30 June 2027. The previous EV rebate application cycle received 3,499 applications, with 3,001 rebates issued, more than half to low-income applicants. By Carol Luk Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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UK VAT cut widens EV charging access gap

26/07/22

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26/07/22

UK VAT cut widens EV charging access gap

London, 22 July (Argus) — The UK's decision to remove value added tax (VAT) from household electricity bills could make electric vehicle (EV) home charging more affordable but widen the gap between drivers with access to home charging and those who depend on public chargers. The tax cut was announced on 21 July by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and will reduce the VAT on household electricity bills from 5pc to 0pc from 1 October. Home charging is already the cheapest way to run an EV. Charging an EV at home in the UK cost around 7p/km in May, against 26p/km using ultra-rapid public chargers, a gap that is widening (see graph) . Around 77pc of UK EV drivers have access to a home charger, while the remaining 23pc rely on public charging infrastructure, according to estimates from charging data provider Zapmap. And across the UK as a whole, 67.2pc of UK households have access to a driveway or dedicated parking space suitable for installing home charging, according to consultancy Field Dynamics. This lack of access to home charging space could limit EV uptake, regardless of policies to make home charging more affordable. The tax cut therefore favours a group that is already over-represented among EV owners. Charging operators have previously argued that policy support can disproportionately benefit motorists able to charge at home, while drivers relying on public infrastructure face higher running costs. Public charging access is still growing. The UK had more than 121,000 public chargers at the end of June 2025, according to Zapmap, with most recent additions being higher-power units. And around one-quarter of households without driveways were within a five-minute walk of a public charger in 2024, up from 12pc in 2020, according to Field Dynamics estimates. The EU is facing a similar challenge as incentives continue to support EV uptake, but increasing adoption will depend on giving drivers without private parking access to convenient and affordable charging. In the EU, attention has increasingly shifted from charger numbers to network coverage. Public charging points in the EU reached more than 1.1mn this year, up from about 199,000 in 2020, driven particularly by growth in direct-current fast-charging infrastructure (see graph) . Germany and France have the most fast chargers, while the Netherlands continues to dominate lower-power AC charging as it focuses on residential charging (see graph) . EU countries have also moved ahead of charging targets set under the EU's Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which links charging deployment to EV uptake and coverage along major transport corridors. The EU has exceeded AFIR fleet-based charging targets by more than 180pc on average, while 79pc of the bloc's TEN-T core network — its main motorway routes — now meet distance-based requirements, according to clean energy think-tank Transport & Environment. EV charging buildout supports incremental demand for copper, aluminium and rare earth magnets used in charging cables, power electronics and motor components. By Chris Welch UK public and home charger buildout EV public chargers by speed Running costs - ICE versus EV pence per mile Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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India's Delectrik wins 100MWh VRFB storage project

26/07/21

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26/07/21

India's Delectrik wins 100MWh VRFB storage project

Mumbai, 21 July (Argus) — India's state-owned NTPC Renewable Energy (NTPC REL) has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract to battery storage firm Delectrik Systems for a 100MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) energy storage system. The project will be developed by technology provider Delectrik Systems in partnership with Bondada Engineering at Gujarat's Khavda Solar Park, marking the country's first utility-scale deployment of the long-duration storage technology. The battery energy storage system (Bess) is scheduled to be commissioned in the second half of 2027, Delectrik told Argus on 21 July. The electrolyte will be manufactured at Delectrik's Gujarat facility, while the cell stacks will be produced at its Gurugram plant, chief executive Vishal Mittal told Argus , supporting domestic manufacturing of key project components. VRFBs store energy in liquid vanadium electrolyte while electricity is generated through cell stacks, enabling longer-duration storage by independently scaling energy capacity and power output. The project is expected to be India's first grid-scale, non-lithium Bess project, broadening the country's storage technology mix beyond lithium-ion batteries that dominate current deployments, the company said. Delectrik expects additional utility-scale VRFB opportunities in India over the next 12-24 months, including government tenders and commercial and industrial projects, Mittal said. The company pointed to a 120MWh VRFB tender issued by state-owned Gujarat Industries Power (GIPCL), for which bidding has closed and an award is expected in the coming weeks. Delectrik previously deployed a 3MWh VRFB demonstration project for NTPC at Greater Noida in 2025. India has 35.8GWh of Bess capacity under implementation as of March, according to the power ministry. The Central Electricity Authority's National Electricity Plan (2023) projects a requirement of 208GWh of Bess by 2030 to support the integration of growing renewable energy capacity into the grid. By Keertiman Upadhyay Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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China's CATL invests in hydro on stricter battery rules

26/07/21

News

26/07/21

China's CATL invests in hydro on stricter battery rules

Beijing, 21 July (Argus) — China's largest battery producer, CATL, plans to invest in a hydropower project in Yajiang county, Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan province, through a joint venture (JV) with state-owned power producer SDIC Power, in a move that could help secure renewable electricity supply and reduce the carbon footprint of its battery products. CATL and SDIC Power will establish a JV, Yalong River Yagen Hydropower Development, to develop a second hydropower station downstream of an existing project on the Yalong River, SDIC Power said on 21 July. The project has a total planned investment of 33.39bn yuan ($4.66bn), with CATL holding a 10pc stake in the Yagen JV. Construction is expected to take around 101 months, with the first generating unit scheduled to enter operation in 2035 and full commissioning targeted for 2036. The station will be capable of replacing 2.664GW of coal-fired and natural gas-fired power generation capacity once commissioned, SDIC power said. Based on thermal-equivalent calculations, the project is expected to save approximately 2.535mn t/yr of standard coal and 2.086bn m³/yr of natural gas, while reducing CO2 emissions by around 4.51mn t/yr. The investment highlights growing efforts by battery manufacturers to secure access to renewable electricity as they seek to lower emissions across their supply chains. The project could help CATL lock in long-term green power supplies and support its broader strategy of reducing the carbon footprint of battery production. CATL has increasingly emphasized the commercial value of emissions reductions and low-carbon manufacturing, according to sources familiar with the matter, as battery producers face stricter sustainability requirements from overseas customers and regulators. Earlier this year, CATL invested Yn10bn to establish a zero-carbon technology company in Xiamen. In June, the company's EnerD+ energy storage products received one of the first certifications issued under China's pilot programme for product carbon-footprint labelling. The certification was the first, and so far the only, national-level carbon-footprint certification awarded to a lithium battery product in China. The EU is one of the major export markets for Chinese battery suppliers. The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the bloc's new battery regulation have introduced more stringent requirements for carbon footprint reporting and emissions performance across battery supply chains. The EU announced in July 2023 that it will require electric vehicle (EV) and industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2kWh placed on the EU market to be electronically registered from 18 February 2027. This registration will take the form of a battery passport featuring an identification QR code and CE marking. The hydropower investment also reflects a broader trend of battery manufacturers seeking greater control over upstream resources, energy supply, and decarbonisation pathways as global demand for EVs and energy storage systems continues to expand. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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