State-of-the-art battery material plant is being built in Hamina

The battery material plant project in Hamina is set to take a significant leap forward as Finnish Minerals Group and the technology company CNGR Advanced Material complete a technical and economic study. The results will be used in their ongoing collaboration to build a new plant in Hamina to produce precursor cathode active material (pCAM). The plant project is led by a joint venture between the two partner companies, of which CNGR Advanced Material owns 60 per cent and Finnish Minerals Group 40 per cent.

The goal is to start the production at 20,000 tonnes in 2024 and invest in additional capacity alongside production activities in the following years. The initial investment is between EUR 200 and 300 million and is made particularly significant by the fact that the aim of the planned plant is set to have the smallest carbon footprint in the world.

“Hamina and the Kotka-Hamina region have made large-scale investments in projects related to the battery cluster. It is fantastic that Finnish Minerals Group and CNGR Advanced Material are making progress in their pCAM plant project. The city and the surrounding area warmly welcome the new jobs this creates, especially in the process industry,” says the Mayor of Hamina, Hannu Muhonen.

Construction will begin in the summer of 2022. During the initial construction phase, the investment in the plant will create demand for labour in the construction sector, but also in several other industries due to the multiplier effect created by the production and consumption. Once production starts, the plant will directly employ about 150 people at its initial capacity. Various external service providers will also be needed to keep the plant running.

“The fact that CNGR Advanced Material brings to Finland its latest technology and highly automated production line, representing sustainable development, shows that we are pioneers in battery industry development, and that Finland’s battery strategy is paying off,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä. 

Kotka-Hamina region’s battery cluster developed
with the Power Coast concept

It was announced in November 2021 that Finnish Minerals Group would be partnering with Beijing Easpring Material Technology Company to build the Kotka plant.

“The bigger picture shows that the Kotka-Hamina region’s Power Coast concept supports Finland’s battery strategy and strengthens the already well-developed business activities in the area. We are very grateful for the work that operators such as Finnish Minerals Group and Business Finland have done to turn Finland into a significant international player in the battery market,” says David Lindström of the Kotka-Hamina regional development company Cursor.

In connection with the project, to support the need for the pCAM plant, Haminan Vesi will build a waterworks that produces high-quality industrial water using raw water from the brackish sea water outside Hamina. It will be the first of its kind in Finland. The waterworks, which is set to be environmentally sustainable by design, will be built in a modular manner, enabling flexible increases in capacity and scaling of the production to produce very large volumes of water.

Additional information:

Hannu Muhonen, Mayor, City of Hamina
+358 40 828 1283 / hannu.muhonen@hamina.fi

Simo Kaksonen, Head of Transformation, City of Hamina
+358 40 199 1830 / simo.kaksonen@hamina.fi

David Lindström, CEO, Cursor Oy
+358 40 190 2501 / david.lindstrom@cursor.fi