Cabot to expand US battery materials with US$50 mn DOE grant

US-based Cabot Corporation has announced a modified US$50 million grant from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) that will support the company’s recently announced plans to expand its North American battery materials platform. Supported by this DOE grant and approximately US$75 million of Cabot investment, the company plans to expand domestic production of advanced conductive additives at its facilities in Franklin, Louisiana, and Pampa, Texas.

The planned investments are designed to address rising demand for advanced battery materials driven by the expansion of energy storage systems, increasing power requirements from artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and data centres, ongoing grid modernization efforts, and broader electrification trends. It will support this growing demand while expanding domestic production of critical conductive additives in the United States.

The grant reflects a collaborative effort between Cabot and DOE to redirect funding from the company’s originally announced Michigan project to a two-site brownfield expansion program. By leveraging existing manufacturing assets, Cabot expects to accelerate the development of a local and secure supply of critical conductive additives for the growing domestic battery supply chain while strengthening its ability to serve customers globally. The planned investments are also expected to support high-quality manufacturing and construction jobs and contribute to U.S. leadership in advanced battery materials technologies.

Cabot says it is well-positioned to capitalise on growing demand for advanced battery materials through its decades of materials expertise, longstanding relationships with many of the world’s leading battery manufacturers, global manufacturing footprint, and broad portfolio of conductive carbons, carbon nanotubes, and carbon nanostructures. Together, these capabilities enable the company to scale production efficiently, support customers with localized supply, and compete across the major battery markets of North America, Europe, and Asia.

“This investment represents an important step in our strategy to build a differentiated battery materials business that supports some of the most significant growth trends shaping the global economy,” said Sean Keohane, President/CEO of Cabot Corporation. “Demand for advanced batteries continues to expand across energy storage, electrification, and emerging AI-related infrastructure. By leveraging our existing manufacturing assets, we can efficiently expand our battery materials platform, strengthen our position in the North American battery ecosystem, and support our customers’ growth with localized supply.”

Cabot’s planned investments will support production of LITX advanced battery-grade conductive carbons at its Franklin, Louisiana facility and establish the first commercial-scale production of carbon nanostructures (CNS), Cabot’s advanced conductive additive technology and part of the Enermax product family, at its Pampa, Texas facility. These conductive additives are designed to help improve battery performance and support the evolving needs of next-generation energy storage and electrification applications. Both projects are expected to be operational by the end of 2028.