EDEA Energy signs $161M defence supply agreement with Australian battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance

[Melbourne, Victoria, May 2023]

EDEA Energy has announced it has executed an exclusive supply agreement with Tomago (NSW) based lithium-ion battery technology and manufacturing company Energy Renaissance. The agreement is for the manufacture of wholly Sovereign Australian lithium-ion battery solutions for use in Defence Mobility applications.

The applications include the EDEA 6T NATO Certified SilentWatch battery developed for testing in the Hanwha Redback IFV.

“EDEA can now confidently supply the Australian Defence Force and Primes with 100% Sovereign Australian energy storage solutions -- from cell processing to battery manufacturing. This eliminates foreign security and supply chain risk and removes FX and quality uncertainty”. said Mark Tipping, Managing Director, EDEA Energy

“This partnership also means we can design, develop and manufacture sovereign Australian batteries for almost any defence requirement. One cannot underestimate the importance of this agreement for national security.

“It also opens the door for more collaboration beyond the 6T NATO SilentWatch battery,” Tipping stated

Brian Craighead, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Renaissance added “Importantly, the battery management system (BMS) that controls the SilentWatch battery is 100% Australian -- both software and chipset. It’s been created by CSIRO to be the world’s most advanced BMS; hyper-accurate and cyber-secure. We believe sovereign control and security is critical for grid-connected batteries and defence applications.”

In February 2022, Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) announced that it would test locally developed battery solutions in the Redback infantry fighting vehicle, providing greater optionality to power the armoured vehicle.

“We are excited to work with EDEA Energy to explore the opportunity concerning Australian-made batteries in armoured vehicles,” Richard Cho, managing director of Hanwha Defense Australia, said at the time.

“The potential for gains in sovereign capability in crucial components is significant. I have a big aspiration to support retaining the manufacturing capability in Australia, which can combat the global supply chain issue due to the pandemic or another crisis.

We can help them further expand its applications to other area beyond defence within the broader Hanwha group,” Cho stated.

The EDEA SilentWatch battery also has significant export potential. The battery scheduled to be tested in the Republic of Korea in June this year.

“EDEA’s advancements in the lithium-ion battery arena is an important milestone in Australia’s defence capability and confirms capacity to manufacture its own battery technology at scale for multiple uses,” EDEA’s Tipping remarked.

For further information please contact:

Franca Mazzarella
Chief of Staff
EDEA Energy Pty Ltd
(t): +61 411 364 741
(e): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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About EDEA Energy

EDEA Energy was formed in 2018 to create Australian owned, designed, and manufactured battery products suited for our unique conditions. The mission of EDEA Energy is to empower communities with safe, reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions.

Founded by Dr Mark Sandford and Managing Director Mark Tipping, EDEA Energy has attracted a committed team of highly accomplished people who believe that building an Australian sovereign battery manufacturing capability is both critical to meeting 2050 Net Zero targets and essential to our national energy security interests.

About Energy Renaissance

Energy Renaissance, founded in 2015, are an Australian owned and operated lithium-ion battery technology and manufacturing company with long-term research collaboration and partnerships shaping product development and manufacturing growth and redeploying local resources to support a smooth transition to a renewable energy future.

They have built Australia’s first battery Gigafactory, a 4,500m2 purpose-built advanced manufacturing facility, with no industrial effluent and designed to be powered by clean energy, based in Tomago in regional NSW.

About Hanwha Defense Australia

Headquartered in Melbourne, Hanwha Defense Australia was established in 2019 with an initial focus on Land Systems. The company has been selected as the sole tenderer to bid for LAND 8116, a $0.9 to $1.3 billion project which will see the Commonwealth acquire self-propelled artillery systems to be manufactured in the Greater Geelong area of Victoria.

Its Redback IFV is one of two finaltenderers for Land 400 Phase 3.