The 18th of May, Tiamat, with the company of this communication manager, made an important visit to Gestamp Navarra to observe the testing of the battery pack developed as part of the NAIMA project. The project aims to establish a new industry value chain for sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries, with the potential to surpass current lithium-based technologies. This visit marked a significant milestone in the project’s progress towards achieving its objectives.
In line with the European Union’s commitment to transition to a secure, sustainable, and competitive energy system based on renewable sources, the development of non-dispatchable renewable generation has created a pressing need for a more flexible energy system. With the rapid growth of decentralized installations, it is essential to reduce the EU’s dependence on imported Asian lithium-ion batteries. Currently, only 3% of cell manufacturing takes place within the EU, while a staggering 85% occurs in Asia. To address this issue, the establishment of a 100% European battery production and supply chain has become imperative.
The project has focused on the development and validation of next-generation sodium-ion batteries. These batteries have been subjected to rigorous testing in two real-world energy storage systems: renewable generation (EDF) and industry (GESTAMP). The successful demonstration of the Na-ion battery prototypes in these multi-scale business scenarios has provided solid evidence of their competitiveness and potential to revolutionize the energy storage sector.
The collaboration between all the partners of the consortium and the visit of Tiamat and Gestamp represents a significant step forward in the development of sodium-ion batteries. By working together, these organizations have contributed to the creation of a new market for this promising technology.