Walking the show floor, it is clear that the regional and European energy storage ecosystem has gained strong momentum (in Catalonia alone, the sector now exceeds €1,044M in turnover across 267 companies). There is first-rate engineering in battery packs, BMS development, and system integration.
However, when looking at the supply chain from an industrial perspective, the bottleneck remains in the exact same place: the so-called Layer Zero. That is, the chemical synthesis of Active Materials (CAM and AAM), which account for 40% to 50% of a cell’s weight and core electrochemical value.
In Europe, we celebrate every new cell gigafactory announcement as a step toward strategic autonomy. Yet a quick look at recent market moves shows that in high-volume commodity chemistries (such as standard LFP or automotive-grade graphite), active material manufacturing is largely bypassing the European Union.
A clear example is the recent cross-shareholding agreement between Volkswagen Group’s PowerCo and Gotion High-Tech:
The industrial takeaway is straightforward: in current commodity chemistries, competing from within the EU against massive economies of scale and external energy and regulatory cost structures is extremely difficult. The first wave of high-volume standard materials is already taking that route.
Assuming that the entire energy storage market will be served by standard passenger EV cells is a fundamental misconception. The sector is evolving rapidly and requires new chemistries (many of them specialized, high-value niches) for applications where conventional LFP or graphite hit their physical limits:
Furthermore, starting in 2027, the EU Digital Battery Passport and Scope 3 carbon footprint thresholds will reshape procurement math for industrial batteries (>2 kWh). Buyers will no longer look solely at upfront €/kg or $/kWh, but at kgCO>2/kg accumulated across logistics and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) per cycle over the asset’s lifetime.
Precisely because the market is moving toward technological specialization, RIMSA’s position—through our joint venture Innovamat Srl, formed with our Italian partner Quartz—is not to chase the commodity volume race, but to commit decisively to European synthesis and production of advanced active materials:
1. European Solid-State Production (LiT Series – LTO): Combining over 50 years of joint experience between RIMSA and Quartz in powder engineering and solid-state chemistry (inert-atmosphere kilns, spray drying, and advanced micronization), we manufacture high-purity Lithium Titanate (Li4Ti5O12) grades (LiT10 and LiTMicro) in Europe. This zero-strain spinel chemistry (<0.2% volume change) eliminates dendrite risk, delivers over 20,000 cycles, and relies on abundant, non-critical titanium.
2. Next-Generation CRM-Free Chemistries (FeS, TNO & LMR): Looking beyond today’s market, alongside partners like CIDETEC we have scaled conversion-type synthetic Iron Sulfide (FeS) anodes using eco-friendly water-based processing (NMP-free) to pilot pouch cells. And within the flagship CHAINERGY consortium (backed by CDTI), we are leading the dry-process development of advanced titanium-niobium anodes (TNO) and cobalt/nickel-free manganese-rich cathodes (LMR) at our Barcelona facilities.
The conclusion following Battery Tech in Barcelona is clear: while the current commodity volume race may be looking for shortcuts outside EU borders, Europe’s true technological sovereignty will be built by mastering the specialized, high-performance chemistries that come next. At RIMSA / Innovamat, our commitment is to manufacture them right here in Europe.
