February 21, 2019: Oxis Energy is to build the world’s first commercial scale lithium sulfur battery manufacturing plant after securing $60 million in funding from Brazil’s Codemge Participações, the UK firm announced on February 12.
Phase 1 of the plant, being built in the city of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, should be completed in 2022.
The plant’s initial output will be two million cells per annum rising to five million per year by the mid 2020s.
The lithium sulfur cells will be developed, designed and produced for aviation, defence, stationary and electric vehicle — including buses, trucks and light commercial vehicle — applications.
Plans for the plant were announced in May, 2018, after Siemens introduced Oxis’ CEO Huw Hampson-Jones to representatives of Confrapar, a Brazilian technology Venture Capital firm, a year before.
Oxis received a £3.7 million ($5 million) investment from Aerotec, a Brazilian Private Equity fund, last year.