To bolster the production of advanced batteries and battery materials in the country, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing in multiple projects, including Ascend Elements in Hopkinsville.
The DOE recently announced their first round of grant awardees and their second round of grant recipients. Two Ascend Elements projects were among the first-round recipents, and they were then selected to receive a grant for an additional project.
In the first round, Ascend was awarded a federal cost-share grant of around $164 million for the establishment of an integrated sustainable battery active material production plant at the Apex 1 Facility being constructed in Hopkinsville. According to a news release from the DOE, the plant will process material and turn it into cathode-active materials for lithium-ion batteries.
Ascend was also awarded a federal cost-share grant of around $316 million for an integrated sustainable battery precursor project focusing on battery material production for electric vehicles.
In the second round, Ascend was selected for a federal cost-share grant of around $125 million focusing on battery material recycling. Recycling facilities will be built at the Apex 1 Facility that recycles graphite from used batteries.