KORE Power, Inc. will use ENTEK lithium separators manufactured in Terra Haute, Indiana in the battery cells that the company produces at the Arizona KOREPlex, according to a supply agreement announced Tuesday.
Under the agreement, KORE will purchase separators for both NMC and LFP battery cells from ENTEK when ENTEK’s Indiana facility comes online in 2025. Under the terms of the agreement, ENTEK will supply enough separators for the KOREPlex’s initial 7 GWh capacity and will allow for a second phase which could more than double that supply.
“Our goal is a fully domestic supply chain, and with today’s announcement, we are a step closer to that goal,” said Lindsay Gorrill, CEO and Founder of KORE Power. “ENTEK is a domestic suppler that can deliver separators for both chemistries we’ll produce, and that will have the capacity to grow with us.”
The multi-year agreement will run until at least 2031.
“We are excited that the lithium-ion separators that come out of our Indiana facility will be used in KORE batteries for American vehicles and energy storage products,” said Larry Keith, CEO of ENTEK. “This agreement aligns two growing US companies with the shared vision of a thriving U.S. supply chain powering the clean energy economy.”
Lithium-ion separators are a critical component of a battery cell. Separators divide the cell’s anode and cathode, allowing the transfer of electrons which power vehicles, devices, and energy storage systems.
Last year, KORE announced a supply agreement with NOVONIX for synthetic graphite anode material which will be produced at NOVONIX’s Tennessee manufacturing facility.
“With ENTEK we have locked in a strategic partner that is also building an American facility and will be able to provide us with enough separators for KORE to grow beyond 14 GWh annually,” said Gorrill.
Pricing was not released.
