Altech Secures Backing for German Battery Push

Altech Batteries has picked up serious momentum in Europe with preliminary approval for a €46.7 million German government grant to support its CERENERGY sodium chloride solid state battery project in Saxony.

The approval comes via Germany’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy under the STARK program, which is designed to help coal dependent regions transition towards cleaner industries. While the grant is not yet final and hinges on financial close and parliamentary budget approval in 2026, the decision signals strong institutional backing for Altech’s alternative battery technology.

CERENERGY batteries are pitched as a safer and greener rival to lithium ion. Built from table salt rather than lithium, cobalt or graphite, the sodium chloride solid state design is fire proof, explosion proof and able to withstand both freezing and desert conditions. Importantly, the technology sidesteps reliance on critical minerals, insulating it from volatile commodity markets.

Altech, through its joint venture with German battery institute Fraunhofer IKTS, is planning a 120 MWh production facility at its Saxony site. The plant will manufacture CERENERGY modules aimed at grid storage, a sector where demand is expected to balloon as Europe increases renewable energy penetration.

Managing director Iggy Tan welcomed the recognition. The grant approval, he said, was a significant endorsement of Altech’s technology and underlined the support available in Germany for projects aligned with energy transition goals.

The funding is part of a broader suite of European and regional programs designed to revitalise coal areas by investing in renewable energy and battery projects. With both Saxony and Brandenburg offering grant opportunities, Altech is well positioned to secure multiple funding streams to de risk its capital plans.

Alongside CERENERGY, Altech is advancing its Silumina Anodes project in Germany, which incorporates high capacity silicon into lithium ion batteries to deliver smaller, lighter and more efficient cells. A definitive feasibility study has already been completed for an 8,000 tonne per annum plant, and the project has been given a green stamp from Norway’s climate research body CICERO.

For now, the key milestone is the German government’s recognition of CERENERGY as a legitimate next generation battery contender. While the final cheque is still subject to political sign off, the preliminary approval highlights growing momentum for sodium chloride solid state batteries as Europe seeks secure, sustainable and scalable energy storage.

For investors, the development places Altech squarely in the frame as one of the ASX’s more interesting battery plays, with its technology tackling both the safety issues and raw material risks that dog traditional lithium ion solutions.