Skip to main content

On Monday, sustainable technologies and chemicals multinational Johnson Matthey announced a series of landmark deals in support of its efforts to build a sustainable (and strategically situated) European battery materials supply chain.

First, the company confirmed that it will locate a second commercial plant for the production of its eLNO (nickel-rich advanced cathode) materials in Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland: a region tipped as an emerging hub for sustainable energy technologies. In making the news public, Johnson Matthey touted Finland’s favorable battery materials ecosystem, reliable access to renewable energy, sustainable raw materials and proximity to major European automotive OEM and cell manufacturers. The plant will have a nameplate capacity of 30kT, and construction is expected to begin later this year.

Johnson Matthey is partnering with Finnish Minerals Group, which manages the Finnish state’s mining industry assets, to further develop Finland’s batteries ecosystem into a fully integrated electric vehicle battery value chain.

Together, Finnish Minerals Group and Johnson Matthey will jointly develop an integrated solution to treat sodium sulphate, a common manufacturing by-product, providing a sustainable supply chain to conserve natural resources and protect the local environment.

Finnish Minerals Group will also invest, separately, in pre-treatment technology of nickel and cobalt sulphates to tailor materials to the requirements of high nickel cathode materials, using only locally generated renewable energy. Johnson Matthey said the company is actively working with the City of Vaasa to develop a sustainable heat recovery solution to the local heating system network.

Both developments represent a major step toward sustainable cathode material production, which Johnson Matthey says its customers are increasingly demanding.

“We are very happy Johnson Matthey has decided to select Finland as the location of their second eLNO plant,” Finnish Minerals Group CEO Matti Hietanen said. “Finnish Minerals Group and Johnson Matthey share a strong commitment to sustainable solutions, so we are excited to have signed a strategic partnership to develop novel solutions for sodium sulphate and raw material treatment. This is a strong testament of Finland’s leading position in developing a sustainable battery materials ecosystem in Europe.”

Supply agreements

Johnson Matthey also announced a pair of major supply agreements with key foreign producers.

The firm has signed a term sheet with Russia’s Nornickel, a world leading supplier of refined nickel products, for the supply of nickel and cobalt from Nornickel’s metal refineries in Harjavalta, Finland and in the Kola region, Russia. Per the firm’s announcement, the deal secures a supply of sustainable, responsibly sourced raw materials for its cathode production in both Poland and Finland.

Johnson Matthey and Nornickel say they will work together on other important issues within the battery materials value chain, including supply chain digitalization efforts, circular economy opportunities, the application of a newly developed metal dissolution technology, and other sustainability initiatives.

Johnson Matthey has also signed an agreement with Chilean chemicals giant SQM, a leading supplier of sustainable lithium products, to supply lithium hydroxide from its Salar del Carmen plant in Antofagasta, Chile. Last year, SQM announced a goal to produce carbon neutral lithium products by the year 2030, and recently became the first lithium producer to join IRMA (the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance) as a provisional member.

“The partnership with Finnish Minerals Group, and the long term supply of critical raw materials with Nornickel and SQM, are important milestones on our journey towards developing a sustainable battery materials ecosystem, and further demonstrate the progress we are making on the commercialization of our business,” said Johnson Matthey CEO Robert Macleod in a comment on the partnerships. “With sustainability at the heart our strategy and an increasingly important requirement for our customers and consumers, we are delighted to be working with our partners to deliver sustainable cathode materials to the market.”

Close Menu

Wow look at this!

This is an optional, highly
customizable off canvas area.

About Salient

The Castle
Unit 345
2500 Castle Dr
Manhattan, NY

T: +216 (0)40 3629 4753
E: [email protected]

Investable Universe is copyrighted material. All rights reserved.