Altris, a Swedish developer of sodium-ion battery technology, and Draslovka, a global specialty chemicals company, have formed a strategic partnership to establish Europe’s first industrial-scale sodium-ion cathode material supply chain. Under the agreement, Draslovka will make a 19.3 million euro in-kind investment in Altris to convert an existing production line at Draslovka’s Kolín facility in the Czech Republic. Once operational, the line is expected to produce up to 350 tonnes of sodium-ion cathode active material (CAM) annually, equivalent to roughly 175 MWh of cell capacity.
The collaboration will leverage Draslovka’s licenses, process know-how, and jointly developed plant design to accelerate time-to-market and enable a capital-efficient scale-up. Production is scheduled to begin in late third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2026. By localizing CAM production in Europe, the partners aim to reduce reliance on imported inputs and support the continent’s transition toward diversified, resilient battery supply chains beyond lithium-only chemistries.
“This exciting partnership with Altris is an important milestone for Draslovka, as we continue strategically investing in concrete opportunities to leverage our world class expertise in chemistry and sustainable technology. By establishing a fully connected value chain production capacity in Europe, we are in a position to deliver high-quality sodium-ion solutions without relying on external links in the chain,” says Pavel Brůžek, CEO of Draslovka.
“This alliance exemplifies how Altris is building a European sodium-ion value chain with leading industrial partners. Europe is no longer waiting for sodium-ion to mature elsewhere – we are industrialising it here, with Western manufacturing and Western supply. It reflects our strategy to focus on what we do best: delivering world-class cathode material that supports a more resilient European battery supply,” says Christer Bergquist, CEO of Altris.
Altris specializes in a proprietary Prussian White cathode material for sodium-ion batteries and is backed by strategic investors, including leading automotive and energy companies. Draslovka is recognized for its chemical process technologies and manufacture of specialty reagents, and plays a key role in sustainable mining technologies as well as active materials for next-generation batteries.
Source: Business Wire
