Siemens to support FREYR as technology partner to enable low cost green battery cell supply from Norway
- Siemens and FREYR have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which Siemens will support FREYR with its expertise, automation and software portfolio, and power solution systems. FREYR plans a large scale, competitive and sustainable battery cell production in Norway based on 100% renewable, ultralow-cost energy from hydro and wind prower
- Siemens will initially support FREYR’s plans through the joint development of a digital twin to FREYR’s planned battery cell production plant which will enable advanced virtual simulations of existing and new battery cell technology solutions over time
Today, FREYR announces that Siemens will support FREYR with its Digital Enterprise portfolio to enable low cost, green battery cell production in Norway. Siemens will be FREYR’s technology partner for automation, electrification and digitalization throughout the project phases, from development of plant designs to the simulation of battery cell production and services. In addition, Siemens will support development of the electric infrastructure from the grid into the factory, and FREYR plans to use Siemens’ automation portfolio as basis for the battery cell production.
In April this year, FREYR announced its ambition to build a 32+2 GWh battery-cell facility (a so-called Giga-factory), one of the largest in Europe, to produce lithium-ion battery (LIB) cells, based on proven technology through an in-licensing business model.
The 32 GWh is targeted for the exponentially growing maritime and EV market(s) in Europe while the 2 GWh facility is targeting more nascent market verticals such as stationary storage applications. The 2 GWh facility could also be used to offer scaling services for the best emerging battery cell technologies at industrial scale.
“Siemens is the only supplier with a holistic approach to the battery industry. Together with FREYR, we are developing a digital twin mirroring the production, the product and the performance. In combination with Norway’s renewable energy FREYR can make Norway a significant supplier of battery cells globally.” Says Frank Braathen, Managing Director of Siemens Digital Industries Norway.
Siemens and FREYR will also explore specific collaboration opportunities including but not limited to:
- How to optimize design, simulate and verify 1st quartile battery cell production through material and energy flows for proven and emerging technologies
- How to most efficiently integrate and digitalize the entire battery cell production value-chain and secure long-term sustainable competitive advantage
“FREYR is delighted to team up with Siemens in the quest for superior low-cost batteries from the Nordic region. Siemens’ deep expertise and proven track-record in supporting customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility are of high value to FREYR. We look forward to detailing out further the offtake from our plant in Mo i Rana while leveraging the partnership with Siemens to further strengthen the basis for top quartile supply of battery cells from Norway”, says Tom Einar Jensen, CEO of FREYR AS.
“FREYR is creating an ecosystem of scientific, commercial and financial stakeholders to develop new market verticals to meet increased global demand of battery cells produced in Norway and the Nordic region in a responsible, environmentally and economically optimal way. This agreement is another important step forward for us” says Torstein Dale Sjøtveit, FREYR’s Executive Chairman.
In June, FREYR announced that EIT InnoEnergy, the innovation engine for sustainable energy in Europe, had signed an agreement to invest in FREYR to support the company’s plans.
Contact information
FREYR AS:
Tom Einar Jensen, Chief Executive Officer, tom.jensen@freyrbattery.com
Harald Bjørland, Investor relations and Corporate communication, +47 908 58 221
Siemens:
Julia Kauppert, Internal Communications & PR at Siemens Digital Industries, Tel.: +49 911 895-7958
About Siemens AG
Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 75,000 employees internationally.
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed company Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. In fiscal 2018, which ended on September 30, 2018, Siemens generated revenue of €83.0 billion and net income of €6.1 billion. At the end of September 2018, the company had around 379,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
About FREYR
FREYR is a Norwegian Incorporated Company developing a combined 32+2 GWh lithium ion battery facility in Mo I Rana and a 600 MW onshore wind-park at Sjonfjellet in Rana and Nesna municipalities in Norway. The company’s products will target the rapidly expanding EV market in Europe and develop additional markets in the marine, stationary storage, short-haul aviation and offshore segments through cluster-based R&D initiatives with leading Norwegian and European institutions and companies.