Western Australia's A$50 Million Battery Manufacturing Program Funds Three Local Companies

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Western Australian government is funding three local companies to advance five projects aimed at developing and manufacturing battery technologies and components for residential, commercial, industrial, and defense applications. The funding comes from the first round of grants under the state government's A$50 million (US$35.8 million) Local Battery Manufacturing Program, with the three selected companies using the funds for prototype development and testing, purchasing advanced equipment, and expanding production capacity.

The funded projects cover residential energy storage batteries, large-scale community batteries, inverters, and locally manufactured battery components. Western Australia's Minister for Energy, Decarbonisation and Manufacturing, Amber-Jade Sanderson, said these projects will support the development of local battery manufacturing capabilities, help build resilient supply chains, create highly skilled jobs, and support Australia's transition to a cleaner energy future.

The companies receiving funding include Magellan Powert, which designs and manufactures industrial-grade AC and DC uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, energy storage units, batteries, and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure; Adarsh Investments, a Western Australian-owned and operated component manufacturer, processor, and importer; and ProtoLab Manufacturing, which provides electronic solutions.

The Local Battery Manufacturing Program comprises two funding streams. The production-ready stream provides businesses with matched funding of up to A$100,000 for three types of pre-production activities, while the production scale-up stream offers existing battery manufacturers matched funding of up to A$5 million for projects that expand their operations, with eligible expenditure covering the purchase of capital equipment, staff training, costs associated with upgrading existing or new facilities, and engaging commercial or manufacturing experts.