Kemira has begun pilot production of iron phosphate at its Helsingborg site in Sweden, taking a key step toward establishing a localized European supply chain for battery materials.

 

The pilot operation marks a major milestone in Kemira’s push into battery materials and comes as global demand for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries continues to rise across electric vehicles, energy storage systems and industrial applications.

 

Iron phosphate is a critical precursor and core building block for LFP battery production. Its demand is being driven by the chemistry’s combination of safety, durability and cost competitiveness.

 

Kemira’s new pilot facility is designed to bridge the gap between laboratory development and potential commercial-scale manufacturing. The plant will allow the company to produce larger volumes of iron phosphate for customer testing, product qualification and process development, while generating the data needed to assess a potential full-scale production facility.

 

"This pilot plant represents a significant step in Kemira's battery materials journey. With the start-up of the Helsingborg facility, Kemira is becoming one of the first producers of iron phosphate in Europe focused on serving Western battery markets. As demand grows, we see a clear need for a more localized and resilient supply chain for battery materials, and Kemira is well positioned to support its development," says Peter Ersman, EVP, New Ventures & Services, Kemira.

 

The company said the move is aimed at strengthening precursor cathode active material (pCAM) supply chains and helping create a more balanced battery materials ecosystem in Western markets.

 

Kemira is leveraging its established expertise in inorganic chemistry, iron-based chemistries, industrial process development and scale-up technologies. The company sees iron phosphate as a natural extension of these capabilities, with the Helsingborg pilot plant providing a platform for product validation and manufacturing process development.

 

The next phase will focus on customer qualification and further validation of the production process. If customer qualifications and market development progress successfully, Kemira will assess investments in commercial-scale iron phosphate production.

 

The Helsingborg operation therefore represents more than a pilot project: it gives Kemira a foothold in a strategically important part of Europe’s emerging battery materials supply chain, while allowing the company to test the commercial potential of scaling up production.