NEBA
Harnessing the North East's Battery R&D Capabilities for the UK and Beyond
The North East of England hosts Europe’s first battery manufacturing facility, along with diverse battery component manufacturers and several leading universities – Newcastle, Durham, and Northumbria – engaged in cutting-edge battery R&D and skills development. Adding to this momentum, AESC is in the process of constructing a second gigafactory, projected to achieve an annual capacity, when complete, of 25 GWh, to cater to the demands of Nissan’s automotive manufacturing plant. These combined capabilities establish the North East as a focal point for electrification, automotive production, and advanced manufacturing.
NEBA, spearhead by Lois Warne and Colin Herron from Newcastle University and the Faraday Institution North East (FINE) office, was established in 2021 to build on the region’s growing prominence in battery research, innovation, skills, and production. Colin contributes 50+ years of industry experience, while Lois possesses extensive project management expertise spanning industry and the public sector. Together, they facilitate collaboration, address cross-cutting challenges in research and industry, and devise strategies for partner organisations and the region to harness their strengths.
| NE Battery Ecosystem By the Numbers | |
|---|---|
| 5 | educational institutions – Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Durham University, Sunderland University, and Teesside College |
| 200 | energy storage researchers engaging with NEBA |
| 130 | companies in the battery supply chain involved in NEBA |
| 1st | European gigafactory, AESC |
| 2nd | AESC plant to open in 2025 with 12 GWh p.a. capacity, employing 1,000 people |
| 6,000 | employees in battery manufacturing and supply chain possible by 2030 |
Lois was honoured with a Highly Commended recognition in the collaboration category of the Faraday Institution Community Awards 2023. The awards were set up to celebrate community successes and reward members of the community who demonstrate excellence and behaviours in line with the organisation’s mission and values – and who go above and beyond what would normally be expected.
NEBA’s activities have already resulted in a number of positive impacts for the region, including raising awareness of the existing infrastructure in the North East, opening up new investment opportunities, helping early stage career researchers to progress their academic careers, and bringing new companies to the region.
Since it was established, NEBA has become a key strategic partner in delivering inward investment for the electrification industry. NEBA has a highly collaborative mindset and focuses on industry priorities. Invest North East England works with companies looking to grow or expand into the region and there has been significant growth in the number of projects that are seeking to tap into the North East’s technical and innovation expertise.”
Michelle Duggan, Inward Investment Manager, Invest North East England
There are a lot of moving parts required to make the UK battery sector succeed. NEBA is a conduit to bring these parts together, enhancing a spirit of collaboration like no other.”
Tom Anderson, Managing Director, CalPac Resources
Through the power of collaboration and partnerships within academia and industry the North East Battery Alliance provides world-class expertise and facilities to develop more sustainable and higher-performance batteries, reducing the impact on the environment. It also puts the North East at the heart of these advances, creating highly skilled and well-paid jobs in the region.”
Tony Jackson, Director-Formulation, CPI
A year and a half since its establishment, NEBA has been successful in initiating various activities to bring together members hailing from research and innovation centres, educational and skill-based institutions, the public sector, battery cell manufacturers, and the associated supply chain. These efforts have paved the way for reducing obstacles to innovation and stimulate growth within the sector.”
Matt Howard, Chief Strategy Officer, Faraday Institution
Mahfuz Kamal recently completed his PhD at Newcastle University and is now leading a start up to provide an efficient battery discharging solution to serve the battery recycling community. He was introduced to his mentor Matthew Lumsden, CEO of Connected Energy, at the inaugural NEBA conference. Mahfuz comments:
Matthew’s fresh perspective has been a catalyst in kick-starting my journey into this sector. He has been instrumental in refining my start-up’s business model and identifying possible new commercial opportunities. The connections I’ve made through NEBA have provided me with deep insights into the end-of-life battery market.”
The alliance is acting as a unifying force for the different parties in the region. At its conferences in May 2022 and June 2023, not only did NEBA gather over 170 academics to showcase their research, but used the platform to discuss how the traditionally competing industrial partners can work together for the better of the region as a whole.
NEBA representatives have also been putting the North East’s battery R&D capabilities on the global map, for example, by showcasing the region’s capabilities at international trade events—such as the 2023 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE) conference in Tokyo.
By bringing together regional interests NEBA is acting as an effective facilitator for the region to live up to its potential as a significant local player in the global green industrial revolution.
A panel on stage: Investment discussion – regional landscape and future NEBA, the collaboration of universities, local authorities, representative bodies and industry. Panel: Chair: Michelle Duggan, Inward Investment Manager, Invest North East England Matthew Lumsden, Connected Energy Paul Butler, North East Automotive Alliance George Marston, Northumbria University Greg Bogie, Green Lithium Stewart Dickson, Weardale Lithium Tom Anderson, Calpac Resources
Networking at the NEBA conference 2023
Case study published September 2023.