BASF and Toda Kogyo said they would further expand capacity at BASF Toda Battery Materials (BTBM) at the Onoda site in Japan.
BTBM is a BASF majority owned joint venture with Toda formed in 2015 (BASF 66%; Toda 34%). Construction for the new capacity at Onoda will start in Q4 2022 and commercial production is planned for the second half of 2024. Annual capacity for high nickel cathode active materials (CAM) will achieve up to 60,000 tons by 2025.
Peter Schuhmacher, president, catalysts division, BASF said “This investment at the Onoda site, already one of the world’s largest calcination facilities for CAM, will support our customers’ ambitious growth plans in Japan and worldwide. We will introduce an innovative and proprietary new production process allowing highest throughput rate combined with consistent highest quality.”
Shigeru Takaragi, president of Toda Kogyo, added: “With the further expansion of the Onoda site, we are supporting the Japanese government’s goal of strengthening the local supply chain. We are combining and mobilizing resources to take full advantage of our synergies to respond to the fast-growing demand for lithium-ion batteries.”
The new expansion project has been selected by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a “Program for Promoting Investment in Japan to Strengthen Supply Chains” and has been granted subsidies.