Page 18 - ESJ – ENERGY STORAGE JOURNAL

NEWS – DEALS

Envision completes DEALS IN BRIEF

purchase of AESC Ford partners Solid

Power in funding round
Chinese renewable energy firm Envi- Envision owns with Nissan, in an 80- Solid Power is teaming up
sion Group completed the purchase 20 split respectively. with Ford Motor Company to
of the electric battery operations and Envision AESC is to take control of develop all solid-state batteries
production facilities of Automotive Nissan’s battery assets in the US and for next-generation electric
Energy Supply Corp, a joint venture UK, as well as the entire share capital vehicles, the Colorado firm
between Nissan and NEC Group, the of battery electrode maker NEC En- announced on April 11.
company announced on April 2. ergy Devices. This partnership will
The new company — Envision AESC KepVenture, a wholly owned subsidi- leverage Solid Power’s first
Japan — began operations on April 1. ary of Keppel Corporation, is to buy a fully automated production
The company falls under Envision minority stake in Envision AESC facility, which should be fully
AESC Group, the holding company Group for $50 million. operational this Q2.
Ford participated in Solid
Equity firm buys LG Chem, VinFast set Power’s $20 million Series
into blockchain up lithium ion battery A investment round, which
closed last September and
technology JV in Vietnam included investors Volta Energy
Technologies, Hyundai CRADLE,
Private equity firm Greenbacker Labs South Korean battery maker LG Samsung Venture Investment,
acquired a stake in renewable energy Chem announced on April 8 it had Sanoh Industrial, Solvay
company Exergy Energy, the Mis- set up a joint venture with Vietnam Ventures, and A123 Systems.
souri, US-based company announced automaker VinFast to produce lithi-
on April 8. um ion batteries for electric scooters DHG Hydro signs PPA
Formed last year, Exergy Energy — and cars. The joint venture, named
a subsidiary of blockchain technolo- VLBP, will supply VinFast’s e-mobili- with VPP firm Limejump
gy firm L03 — offers back-up genera- ty vehicles with lithium ion batteries UK virtual power plant firm
tion and security of supply to from the manufacturing factory it is Limejump has signed a power
commercial and technology business set to build in Vietnam’s northern purchase agreement with DHG
customers. port city of Hai Phong. Hydro/Canaird River Company
to manage generation from
Sila Nano announces $170m funding DHG’s 1.2MW Langwell Hydro
Power Plant in Scotland.
round led by vehicle OEM Daimler The deal will provide Langwell
with wholesale energy market
Battery materials company Sila Na- Partners, Chengwei Capital, Matrix trading access, valued at
notechnologies announced on April Partners, Siemens Next47, and Sutter £300,000 ($390,000) per year.
16 that it had closed a Daimler-led Hill Ventures. Limejump will enter Langwell
$170 million Series E funding round. The funding will allow the Califor- into system operator National
The latest round brings the compa- nia, US company to increase produc- Grid’s Balancing Market as
ny’s total funding to $295 million. tion of its silicon-based anodes with part of its VPP aggregated
In addition to the automotive OEM the goal of supplying its first com- balancing unit. It will be the first
Daimler, investor group 8VC joined mercial customer within the next hydro power plant Limejump
returning investors Bessemer Venture year. has utilised in its aggregated
balancing unit.
Tata Chemicals signs an MOU to
gain space grade lithium ion cells Exide sells distribution
business, appoints EVP
Tata Chemicals, the Indian chemistry grade lithium ion cell technologies de- and chief legal officer
product maker, signed a memorandum veloped at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Lead battery manufacturing
of understanding on March 18 with Centre, a part of ISRO, on a non-exclu- and recycling giant Exide
the Indian Space Research Organiza- sive basis. Tata aims to use the know- Technologies sold its North
tion to gain knowledge of its lithium how to manufacture lithium ion cells American distribution business
ion cell technology. of varying capacity, size, energy density to Battery Systems, Inc, the firm
ISRO will transfer various space and power density in India. announced on April 2.
The move came a day after it
Centrica signs DSR contract with TEPCO announced the appointment of
John Gasparovic as its executive
British company Centrica began sup- sponse platform to provide flexibility vice president, chief legal officer
plying Tokyo Electric Power Company services for the reserve market in the and company secretary.
with its industrial demand side re- Kyushu region of Japan on April 1.

16 • Energy Storage Journal • Summer 2019 www.energystoragejournal.com