The Duck Curve#manufacturing
ITER's ninth and final vacuum vessel sector arrives from Europe
Europe's last ITER vacuum vessel sector, #2, reached the site in southern France on October 2, 2026, the ninth of nine and, per the ITER Organization, the last of the core tokamak components to arrive. Six of nine sector modules are already in the tokamak pit, and ITER anticipates installing the final one by mid-2027.
BMW opens Irlbach-Straßkirchen plant to assemble Neue Klasse batteries
BMW Group opened its around €1 billion Irlbach-Straßkirchen plant in Bavaria on October 1, 2026, starting two-shift series production of sixth-generation high-voltage batteries for the new BMW i3 built in Munich. The plant assembles packs from cells BMW says come from leading cell manufacturers, which the release does not name; at full operation it expects around 1,600 employees and several hundred batteries a day on two lines, with no GWh capacity given.
Ultium Cells to make LMR prismatic EV cells at Spring Hill, Tennessee
Ultium Cells, the GM and LG Energy Solution joint venture, said in a September 28, 2026 release that it will upgrade its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant to make LMR prismatic cells for future GM EVs: modifications begin in 2026, completion is expected in 2028, 500 projected jobs join 1,200 employees, and combined investment with the plant's LFP storage-cell program and facility improvements will reach $1B by 2030. It expects Spring Hill to be first in the world to mass produce prismatic LMR cells, with the potential, it says, for 33% higher energy density than LFP at comparable cost.
LA Metro board approves 220 electric buses from ENC, gates 1,600 options
LA Metro's board on September 24, 2026 authorized a $337,698,727.58 base contract with ElDorado National (California), Inc. for 220 forty-foot battery electric buses and raised the project's life-of-project budget to $434,355,185; deliveries begin in spring 2028, per the board report. A Bass amendment makes any purchase of the up to 1,600 option buses subject to board approval, in increments not to exceed 300, and lets the board decline or rebid options. Metro's July 2026 update counted 140 zero-emission buses, 6.46% of its fleet; Streetsblog LA puts the post-purchase share at over 20 percent.
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UK Fusion Energy joins MTC as Tier 1 member, to spend up to £10m on R&D
UK Fusion Energy Ltd, the UKAEA Group subsidiary delivering the STEP prototype fusion plant at West Burton, said on September 15, 2026 that it has become a Tier 1 member of the Manufacturing Technology Centre and set up an R&D contract route through which it expects to spend up to £10 million (about $13.3 million). A release datelined September 14 announced a partnership with INFINITY, which is developing a 200-acre advanced manufacturing site at Infinity Park in Derby. UKFE says procurement packages for six strategic partner opportunities are in their final stages of development.
Alstom signs over €1.2bn of contracts for 29 TransPennine battery trains
Alstom said on September 11, 2026 that it signed contracts worth more than €1.2 billion with TransPennine Express for 29 battery-electric trains plus maintenance, depot provision and charging infrastructure; the trains are to be built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works from 2028, per Alstom's expected start, and delivered from 2032. TransPennine Express and the Department for Transport put it at £1 billion. Alstom will install charging at Hull, Scarborough and Saltburn; Rock Rail funds the trains, replacing part of the Class 185 fleet. None of the four releases gives battery capacity or range.
Suniva closes $835M raise for 4.5 GW South Carolina solar cell plant
Suniva said on September 8, 2026 it completed an $835 million debt and equity raise to build a 4.5 GW solar cell factory in Laurens County, South Carolina, for 5.5 GW of US cell capacity with its 1 GW Georgia plant. The release puts it at approximately $600 million and 564 jobs, completion late 2027; South Carolina's April 14, 2026 announcement said $350 million. The raise precedes Section 232 minimum import prices on polysilicon, ingots and wafers, cells and modules effective December 4, 2026, which the proclamation says replace the safeguard relief Suniva petitioned for in 2017.
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ProLogium says its 381 Wh/kg solid-state cell is in mass production
ProLogium Technology said on September 2, 2026 that its Gen 3.5 Lithium Ceramic Battery is in mass production at its Taoke Gigafactory in Taoyuan, Taiwan, citing a third-party TÜV report showing a 185.4 Ah cell at 381 Wh/kg and 903 Wh/L and a UL Solutions weight-loss test under China's GB/T 43568-2026 from which ProLogium concludes the cell can be classified as all-solid-state. The release gives no production volume and names no customer for the Gen 3.5 cell.
Siemens Energy's Newcastle works to build turbines for UK's first SMRs
Rolls-Royce SMR announced on September 3, 2026 that key steam turbine components for its first three reactors at the Gwyndod project on Anglesey, North Wales, including high-pressure turbines and valve casings, will be manufactured at Siemens Energy's Newcastle site, the former CA Parsons Works. The company says the work will support more than 550 jobs and is the first time such components will be produced for a small modular reactor anywhere in Europe.
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SK On to supply 9 GWh of US-made LFP cells to NeoVolta Power
SK On signed a long-term agreement, announced August 31, 2026, to supply 9 GWh of US-produced LFP pouch battery cells to NeoVolta Power from 2027 through 2031 for storage products the release describes as aimed at utility-scale and commercial-and-industrial applications. The release discloses no value; Yonhap reports market estimates of about 1.5 trillion won (US$1.09 billion). A framework for a further 9 GWh of cells plus pack purchases by SK On would bring the partnership to 18 GWh.
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Canadian Solar storage beats guidance, modules fall 60% year over year
Canadian Solar reported second-quarter 2026 results on August 27, 2026: battery storage shipments of 3.7 GWh exceeded guidance of 2.8 to 3.2 GWh and rose 73% year over year, while solar module shipments of 3.1 GW rose 25% from the first quarter but fell 60% year over year. Revenue was $1.2 billion, gross margin of 13.9% was within guidance but down sequentially, the net loss was $77 million, and Phase I of the company's HJT cell factory in Jeffersonville, Indiana held its ribbon-cutting in July 2026.
Anthro Energy breaks ground on 12,000-ton electrolyte plant in Louisville
Anthro Energy broke ground on a polymer electrolyte plant in Louisville, Kentucky, the company announced on August 19, 2026. The $42 million facility is expected to produce about 12,000 metric tons a year, enough to support up to 25 GWh of lithium-ion battery production, with operation targeted for late 2027.