Energy Official Pushes for US Battery Supply Chain

Federal officials are looking to Georgia to help build a domestic battery industry.

Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson visited the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute's Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility in Atlanta on Wednesday. She toured the facility and outlined new initiatives from the Trump administration aimed at increasing U.S. battery production. The United States currently produces about 7% of the world's batteries, while China manufactures about 80%, according to the International Energy Agency. Robertson said the country has led the world in battery technology for decades but has not kept pace in manufacturing. Her office is working to address that difference. "Our mission: to have a fully integrated battery supply chain here in the United States by 2030," Robertson said.

Federal efforts rely on the South, including Georgia, to narrow the gap in production. "Georgia and the Southeast are the battery belt," said Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech's incoming interim president. Battery plants and manufacturing facilities are being built across Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Lieuwen said building a complete supply chain will require cooperation between universities and the federal government. "Batteries are becoming increasingly important to both our economic security and our national security," Lieuwen said.

Lieuwen also said the United States has led the world in battery technology for 60 years but has not matched that leadership in manufacturing.