Over the past year, RISE, in collaboration with Uppsala universitet, Chalmers tekniska högskola and Blue Institute, as part of the SweBIC project, has investigated the feasibility of establishing a national technological infrastructure for battery cell and material production, with the goal of supporting the growth of the Swedish battery industry. The study's findings have now been released in a final report.
Global battery demand is expected to grow from about 280 GWh in 2021 to around 2 600 GWh by 2030. This forecast has triggered a considerable wave of new battery factory establishments across Europe. While Sweden currently holds a strong position in this value chain, additional efforts will be required to ensure competitive scaling of battery production – a point recently highlighted by the challenges faced by Northvolt.
With this as a foundation, the SweBIC project was initiated, and its results have now culminated in a report.
“We have identified three geographic areas in Sweden where both businesses and regional authorities are investing: Mälardalen, Skellefteå and western Sweden. Through workshops and in-depth interviews with industry representatives and relevant agencies, we have concluded that there is a significant need for infrastructure to support both research and industrialization,” says Maciej Wysocki, project manager at RISE.
The report suggests three types of pilot lines aimed at supporting the Swedish battery industry in areas of the process that currently incur both high costs and substantial risk. The identified focus areas include research and material development, testing and demonstration, as well as production scaling and process development.
There is a significant need for infrastructure to support both research and industrialization
“In Europe, we observe competition from both ongoing initiatives and established infrastructures. However, these are predominantly academic and research-focused. Consequently, the lack of industrialization infrastructure is evident throughout Europe, leading to significant challenges for the industry, including unstable processes, high production waste, and difficulties in scaling up and industrializing,” says Maciej Wysocki, and continues:
“The project recommends the establishment of three regional hubs, each comprising one or more of the proposed pilot lines, to support their respective regional battery clusters. However, the project's conclusions indicate that a co-located national infrastructure would be more beneficial from an economic standpoint, as it would yield several economies of scale.”
For Sweden, there is a substantial need for a reliable and large-scale battery supply, driven by the automotive industry, which is the country’s most crucial export sector. The automotive industry is currently undergoing a green transition, resulting in a steady increase in its demand for batteries as it seeks fossil-free solutions. Maciej Wysocki hopes that the conclusions of the report will enhance understanding of the importance of collaboration.
“I perceive a strong sense of concern about the future, which has recently been amplified by the challenges facing Nothvolt. My hope is that the report will help highlight the need for greater collaboration and risk-sharing to ensure the development of the battery industry in Sweden, with the involvement of authorities, regions, and the industry.”
SweBIC was funded by the Swedish Energy Agency.
Download and read the report below.
SweBIC: Final report (pdf, 1.92 MB)
