Maine-headquartered Western CAM is planning to build two facilities in the US to build “a resilient, domestic supply of battery materials” and make “proven chemistries manufacturable, affordable, and American,” rather than “waiting for next-generation breakthroughs.”
A new company focused on cathode active material (CAM) has launched in the US amid efforts to shore up domestic supply chains for critical materials.
Maine-headquartered Western CAM is planning to build two facilities in the US to build “a resilient, domestic supply of battery materials” and make “proven chemistries manufacturable, affordable, and American,” rather than “waiting for next-generation breakthroughs.”
The company has begun production to submit samples for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, at a rate of 30 kilograms per month. It has also secured its first letter of intent (LOI) for offtake with an unnamed US-based customer.
“We are not disclosing exactly where in the US our facilities will be located just yet,” ceo and co-founder Isobel Sheldon tells Kallanish. “Our 1,000 tonnes/year pilot line will be up and running in early 2026.”
A separate site for its first large-scale facility, which will have a capacity of 50,000 t/y of LFP CAM, has also been selected. Production is expected to ramp up in early 2027.
The news comes after US President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into national security impacts from imported processed critical minerals, stating that the country “remains heavily dependent on foreign sources, particularly adversarial nations.” Washington is in the middle of a trade war with China, which controls the supply chains of most critical mineral extraction and processing.
Sheldon was the chief strategy officer of UK battery start-up Britishvolt, which collapsed in 2023. The company had plans to build a £3.8 billion ($5 billion) gigafactory in Northumberland, England, to produce 30 gigawatt-hours of cells. That capacity would have been enough to power 300,000 EVs per year.
The executive says Western CAM will unlock high volume LFP and LFMP (lithium iron manganese phosphate) CAM thanks to an existing “highly experienced development, technical and manufacturing team” and “existing validated, low-cost synthesis processes.” The materials will target demand from automotive and battery storage sectors.
Source:Kallanish
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