$20m EV battery facility coming to Gold Coast

The Gold Coast will soon receive a $20 million facility for the manufacturing of community lithium batteries and EV chargers.

The factory will be owned and operated by eLumina, an Australian company specialising in the manufacture of EV chargers and battery energy storage systems.

Set to be operational by August 2024, the factory aims to produce 300 batteries a year, create 300 local jobs and be capable of serving up to 100 Queensland households with reliable and cheaper renewable energy.

“Queensland has the potential to become a world leader in next-generation battery manufacturing and research and development,” said Lisa Marsh, Chief Executive Officer of eLumina. “Our centre is just the start of that. We are committed to making a fundamental difference to Australia’s clean energy economy.”

Marsh said global demand for batteries was soaring. “We have record solar uptake and energy generation in Australia, but we need battery storage at scale to harness its full potential,” she explained.

“Through battery storage we can capture this energy and ensure reliable and cheaper off-grid power to all Australians. This insulates communities from power outages and saves them money.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate spoke of the Gold Coast’s plan to secure a larger slice of the clean energy sector and the skilled jobs it will produce.

“Our economic and climate resilience and sustainability strategies are all about backing the Gold Coast to use renewable energy and boost the uptake of renewables,” he said.

“eLumina choosing the Gold Coast as home for Australia’s first factory building both lithium community batteries and EV chargers shows our city has the right settings, ambitions and support for businesses for advanced manufacturing to thrive.”

Image credit: iStock.com/zetter