Energy Plug Technologies and the Malahat Nation have confirmed that construction has started on Canada’s first indigenous-led energy storage gigafactory in Mill Bay, British Columbia.

Sweden-headquartered lithium-ion technology Northvolt has concluded its strategic review, revealing it is divesting or ceasing non-core activities, sharpening its focus to battery cell manufacturing and reducing its workforce.

Indian multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries is on track to open solar and battery storage production facilities by the end of this year and next, respectively.

Norway-based Morrow Batteries has signed an MOU with a Ukraine state body to supply LFP battery cells for shoring up the country’s conflict-stricken grid infrastructure.

US firm Natron Energy has announced plans for a sodium-ion gigafactory in North Carolina, while two Chinese firms have firmed up their projects, all-in-all totalling over 30GWh of annual sodium-ion production capacity.

LG Energy Solution saw its revenues fall 30% in the second quarter of the year amidst a global EV market slowdown, and the company says its ESS segment could help offset this.

While Chinese companies dominated the square footage at ees Europe / Intersolar Europe in Munich last month, some project developers are still keen on prioritising products made closer to home.

The European Council has formally adopted the EU’s support package for its clean energy manufacturing industry, the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), amidst mixed fortunes for local battery gigafactory projects.

Some of the current market prices for lithium-ion batteries are below cost and will not last forever but Europe still needs to be more cost-competitive, the CEO of one of Europe’s first large-scale manufacturing facilities told Energy-Storage.news.

We hear from developers, IPPs and upstream battery sources about the US’ decision to massively hike tariffs on batteries and battery components from China.