Sicona buys Advano, gains US battery base in New Orleans

Sicona has acquired New Orleans battery technology company Advano, giving the Australian company its first acquisition and a permanent operating base in the United States.

The deal includes a pilot manufacturing plant, research and development laboratories, and cell-testing equipment in New Orleans. Sicona will install its SiCx silicon-carbon anode production process at the site and continue supplying Advano's existing US customers.

It also plans to expand the operation into what it calls a "Super Pilot" facility capable of producing enough material for more than 3 million battery cells.

Founded in 2016, Advano has developed a silicon-based anode material for lithium-ion batteries and has raised about USD $46 million. The acquisition also gives Sicona control of Advano's silicon anode patent portfolio, lifting its combined total to 151 patents across 46 patent families.

The New Orleans site gives Sicona a base near NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility and the Centre for Energy Resource Management. The expanded plant will target sectors including data centre battery backup, robotics, power tools, autonomous systems, drones, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and defence.

US expansion

The acquisition comes as US battery supply chains face policy changes that favour domestic production. One law due to take effect in October 2027 will block procurement of batteries produced by certain Chinese manufacturers, while another offers a payment equal to 10 per cent of battery anode material production costs if the material is made in the United States.

That backdrop helps explain Sicona's push to establish local production before the restrictions begin. It is seeking to compete for US contracts on both price and origin as battery buyers reassess their supply chains.

"This acquisition is a major strategic step in Sicona's transition from an Australian battery-materials company into a global lithium-silicon battery platform with a permanent operating base in the United States. Advano and the New Orleans technology community have built an important foundation, and we intend to build on that work as we grow our US operations. We are proud to become part of the Louisiana business community, and we see New Orleans as the right place to build a long-term advanced-manufacturing presence, supported by an experienced industrial workforce and a strong research and engineering base," said Christiaan Jordaan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sicona.

Sicona is also adding an academic adviser with deep experience in battery materials. Professor Y. Shirley Meng will join as Scientific Advisor alongside her roles at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.

Professor Meng has authored or co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. Her appointment adds scientific weight as Sicona seeks to scale silicon-based anode materials in the US market.

"Silicon-based anodes have the potential to deliver major improvements in battery energy, power and charging performance, but successful commercialisation depends on materials that can be manufactured safely, economically, and at meaningful scale. Combining Sicona's technology platform with Advano's New Orleans facilities and US capabilities creates a strong opportunity to accelerate the development of advanced battery materials, and I look forward to supporting Sicona as it expands its scientific, manufacturing, and commercial activities in the United States," said Professor Meng.

Louisiana base

For Louisiana, the transaction brings a foreign battery materials company into a sector state officials want to expand. The project has also been selected for US congressional appropriations funding, subject to the completion of government processes.

State officials cast the investment as a sign of Louisiana's appeal to manufacturers seeking a US foothold. With a pilot plant, laboratories, and testing equipment already in place, Sicona arrives with an operating asset rather than an early-stage greenfield proposal.

"When a global company chooses Louisiana for its first U.S. facility and headquarters, it speaks to the strength of what we have built here and the opportunity ahead. Sicona's investment brings new innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities into Louisiana, creating high-wage careers and expanding the role our state can play in the industries and supply chains shaping America's future," said Susan B. Bourgeois, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary.