Group14 Technologies, a manufacturer of silicon battery technology, has acquired Schmid Silicon Technology Holding, a silane producer based in Europe, for an undisclosed amount to meet the growing demand for silicon battery technology worldwide.
As part of the acquisition, Group14 will bring online Schmid Silicon’s silane factory in Spreetal (Schwarze Pumpe), Germany, to support its expanding European operations.
“Germany has long been the home for many of the world’s largest and oldest automakers, and we’re looking forward to putting this critical stake in the ground to bring forth a resilient silicon battery supply chain capable of meeting global demand right now,” said Rick Luebbe, CEO & co-founder of Group14 Technologies.
The acquisition will ensure that Group14 has a sufficient supply of silane gas, a critical precursor for its silicon battery technology bringing together Schmid Silicon’s ultra-high-purity and low-carbon silane process technology with Group14’s manufacturing capabilities to deliver high-energy density silicon battery materials.
“Our acquisition of Schmid Silicon’s highly energy-efficient process technology and factory was a natural step as we continue to meet the dramatic uptick in demand for advanced battery technology while also supporting the European Union’s decarbonization strategies,” said Rick Costantino, CTO & co-founder of Group14 Technologies.
Group14 is already shipping its silicon battery technology SCC55 to customers from its first commercial-scale factory in Washington State, all while building its second U.S. factory in Moses Lake and completing the commissioning of its joint venture factory with SK in South Korea.
According to Mercom’s recently released 1H And Q2 2023 Funding and M&A Report for Storage & Smart Grid, In 1H 2023, eight (one disclosed) Energy Storage M&A transactions were completed, compared to 13 deals (six disclosed) in 1H 2022.
Recently, Imerys, a provider of mineral-based specialty solutions, announced the acquisition of an 80% stake in British Lithium, a developer and operator of mineral resource projects. British Lithium has been working with Imerys since 2017, drilling and exploring Imerys-owned land in Cornwall and developing a bespoke process and pilot plant to extract lithium from mica, a mineral abundant in the region.
