Lusatia develops into a focal point for battery production

"In Brussels, they are not as fast as in Brandenburg or in Saxony," stresses Ahrens, who praises the state governments and also the administrations for the "excellent support." Lusatia, he says, is an ideal location in many respects. "There is industrial friendliness here, vacant land, a certain focus has been created here." The Altech executive expects all applications in the approval process to receive positive decisions.

Altech wants to build a plant for more advanced ceramic batteries that do not require materials such as lithium or cobalt in the industrial park on the Brandenburg-Saxony border. To this end, the company has signed an agreement with the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS). The focus is on batteries for the power grid. According to the IKTS, it has a 25 percent stake in the joint venture.

A ceramic tube is the secret

The special feature of the so-called Cerenergy batteries is that they do not contain lithium, cobalt, copper or graphite, the Altech executive explains. According to him, the non-combustible novel solid-state battery essentially consists of a ceramic tube into which common salt is introduced instead of lithium. It will be made, Ahrens said, with materials sourced from the region. Because of the weight and also the volume, the battery is not suitable for use in electromobility, but as an energy storage device.