Battery storage supply chain map: who makes each part, and where
A grid battery is racks of cells, each a sandwich of cathode, separator and anode soaked in electrolyte, wrapped in copper and aluminum foil and sealed. Behind the cathode and anode sit refined lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite, and behind those the mines.
Battery chains concentrate in a few countries at the refining and active-material steps, which is exactly where the ownership rules bite. Knowing who makes each layer is the difference between a credit and a write-off.
The Verdex battery storage map shows the companies at every step of this chain, where their plants are, and how each stands under the rules that apply to the sector. Each step below opens its own page: what happens at that step, who does it, and where. How a grid battery is made, step by step.
Mineral Extraction
- Lithium Extraction: Lithium recovered from hard-rock spodumene mines, brine evaporation ponds, or emerging Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) techniques.
- Nickel Mining: Class 1 (battery-grade) nickel from sulfide ores or laterite ores. Laterite typically requires HPAL processing downstream.
- Cobalt Mining: Cobalt is largely a by-product of copper and nickel mining. DRC dominates global supply; ASM (artisanal) exposure is a major sourcing concern.
- Natural Graphite Mining: Natural flake graphite mined primarily in China, Madagascar, Mozambique. Feedstock for anode-grade spherical graphite.
Refining & Salts
- Lithium Carbonate & Hydroxide: Concentrates and brines converted to battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide — the lithium feed to cathode active material and to downstream lithium salts.
- Lithium Salts (LiPF6): Battery-grade lithium salts, chiefly LiPF6, made from lithium carbonate/hydroxide.
- Nickel Sulfate: HPAL and sulfate production yield battery-grade nickel sulfate for cathode precursors.
- Cobalt Sulfate: Cobalt refined to battery-grade cobalt sulfate for cathode precursors.
- Manganese Refining: High-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) for NMC cathode precursors. Capacity is highly concentrated in China.
- Needle Coke & Pitch: Petroleum needle coke and coal-tar pitch, the precursors graphitized into synthetic graphite anode.
Cell Components
- Separator: Microporous polyolefin film (wet or dry process) separating anode from cathode. Ceramic-coated variants improve thermal stability.
- Electrolyte: Lithium salt (LiPF6) dissolved in organic carbonates. Custom additive packages tune performance for each cell chemistry.
- Binders: PVDF or aqueous binders that hold electrode coatings together.
- Conductive Additives: Carbon black and carbon-nanotube (CNT) additives that provide electrode conductivity.
- Copper Foil: Thin copper foil (≤6 µm) that serves as the anode current collector.
- Aluminum Foil: Aluminum foil that serves as the cathode current collector.
- Nickel Foil: Nickel foil / tab material used in some cell formats.
Cell Manufacturing
- Cell Manufacturing: Coating, calendering, slitting, winding/stacking, formation. NMC and LFP dominate; sodium-ion and solid-state are scaling.
Pack & System
- Module & Pack Assembly: Cells grouped into modules and packs with BMS, thermal management, and structural housing. CTP (cell-to-pack) reduces parts count.
- BESS Integration: Container-scale integration of packs with fire suppression, HVAC, and controls. Sold as turnkey utility-scale systems.
- Installation: Site preparation, mechanical mounting, and grid interconnection that deliver installed storage capacity.
- MV Transformers: Medium-voltage step-up transformers connecting the storage plant to the grid. Plant-level balance-of-system; feeds installation.
- Plant Controls & PCS: Storage balance-of-system: power conversion systems (PCS), EMS/BMS and plant controllers that condition and coordinate the batteries. Feeds installation.