Markets & Policy

‘World’s largest lead-acid battery output’ planned in Greece

Manufacturer Sunlight plans to invest €30 million to add 1.3 GWh of annual production capacity of lead-acid products by the third quarter of next year. The company will also devote €20 million to expanding its lithium-ion battery assembly lines.
Ilias Tsagas
By
Ilias Tsagas
Sunlight has staked a Greek claim for ‘world’s biggest’ status, in terms of its lead-acid battery output. | Dimitrisvetsikas1969, Pixabay

Athens-headquartered battery maker Sunlight has announced a €50 million investment plan, with €30 million of it allocated for the production of lead-acid batteries.

That will give the company “the largest output in the world for motive power lead-acid-flooded products,” said Sunlight, adding the investment would see the lead-acid output capability of its fab in Xanthi, northern Greece, rise from 4 GWh to 5.3 GWh per year.

Sunlight also has a 25,000-tons-per-year recycling plant for lead-acid batteries in Komotini from which it aims to source 60% of its lead-acid material requirements. The business owns battery assembly facilities in Verona, in Italy; and in North Carolina, in the U.S.

Circular manufacturing

Circular manufacturing has been a focus of one of the UP Initiative’s quarterly themes. We considered whether adopting a circular approach could create a competitive edge and reap financial and reputational rewards. pv magazine also investigated what is already being done in the solar industry. Contact [email protected] to find out more.

The balance of the €50 million cash injection will go into lithium-ion battery output, with Sunlight describing itself as a lithium-ion supplier on its LinkedIn page. That €20 million is set to fund 1.7 GWh of annual lithium-ion battery assembly capacity, in the form of three “assembly lines for lithium modules and complete lithium battery systems, as well as one assembly line for prototyping and R&D purposes.”

The raised lithium-ion assembly capacity is expected to enter production before October next year and Sunlight said it has reserved space to more than double its annual output to “almost 4 GWh.”

R&D efforts

The Greek government will provide €49.9 million towards the cost of Sunlight’s planned lithium-ion R&D center in Athens – with some likely to come from EU funds – after the European Commission’s directorate-general for competition last year approved the subsidy, under the EU’s state aid rules. Sunlight will pay the remaining €55.3 million cost of the facility.

Written by

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].

Comments