Battery material plant for Finland, and Europe’s biggest battery in Scotland

A cathode active material (CAM) plant is to be built in Kotka, Finland, while Europe’s largest battery site in Blackhillock, Scotland, commences operations.

Finnish Minerals Group and Beijing Easpring Material Technology are to construct the CAM plant with a first-stage capacity of 60,000t per year.

It is expected to be completed in 2027. The plans include the possibility of expanding production in the future.

‘With the Kotka CAM plant, we are creating an entirely new kind of industry in Finland related to the production of lithium-ion batteries,’ says Matti Hietanen, CEO of Finnish Minerals Group.

'Even on a European scale, the plant is a spearhead project for the industry and an important step forward for the Finnish battery value chain and battery business.'

Meanwhile, Zenobē has powered up Europe’s biggest battery at Blackhillock, Scotland, with Phase 1 of the project now live.

The site provides stability services to smooth the issues of large amounts of offshore wind power.

Phase 1 comprises of 200MW of storage, which will be followed by a further 100MW in 2026.

Located between Inverness and Aberdeen to address grid congestion from Viking, Moray East and Beatrice offshore wind farms, the project significantly reduces the amount of wasted clean energy.