Sicona acquires US firm Advano and targets New Orleans 'Super Pilot' battery facility

Christiaan Jordaan, Founder and CEO of Sicona Battery Technologies

Christiaan Jordaan, Founder and CEO of Sicona Battery Technologies

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, September 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Australian battery technology company Sicona Battery Technologies has made its first acquisition, acquiring 100 percent of New Orleans battery technology company Advano.

The deal gives Australian-headquartered Sicona an immediate US operating base, including a pilot manufacturing plant, research and development laboratories, and cell-testing equipment directly across the street from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility and at the Center for Energy Resource Management (CERM) in New Orleans.

It also consolidates Advano’s silicon anode patent portfolio taking Sicona’s total patents record to 151 across 46 patent families, which solidifies Sicona’s position as one of the leading IP holders in the field of mechanical silicon anode materials.

Founded in 2016, Advano developed a silicon-based anode material designed to increase lithium-ion battery energy density and reduce cost per kilowatt hour, and has raised approximately US$46 million to date.

Sicona will install its own SiCx^® silicon-carbon anode production process at the plant and has plans to support Advano’s existing US customers, while also expanding the operation into a "Super Pilot" facility able to make enough material for over 3 million battery cells.

The planned facility will target a wide variety of applications including AI data centre battery backup systems, robotics, power tools, autonomous systems, drones, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, defence, and more.

Professor Y. Shirley Meng, Vice President (Industry) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, will also join Sicona as Scientific Advisor.

Prof. Meng, the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and an NTU Distinguished University Professor, has authored or co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications.

The deal also comes as two US laws shift the economics of battery production towards American plants.

From October 2027, one law prevents procurement of batteries produced by certain Chinese battery manufacturers, while another already pays companies 10 percent of battery anode material production costs, if made within the United States.

Sicona will produce anode material inside the United States before the 2027 restrictions take effect, which lets an Australian company compete for American contracts on price and origin, according to founder and CEO Christiaan Jordaan.

Christiaan Jordaan, Founder and CEO of Sicona Battery Technologies, said: "This acquisition is a major strategic step in Sicona's transition from an Australian battery-materials company into a global lithium-silicon battery platform with a permanent operating base in the United States.

"Advano and the New Orleans technology community have built an important foundation, and we intend to build on that work as we grow our US operations. We are proud to become part of the Louisiana business community, and we see New Orleans as the right place to build a long-term advanced-manufacturing presence, supported by an experienced industrial workforce and a strong research and engineering base."

Professor Y. Shirley Meng, Scientific Advisor, Sicona Battery Technologies, said: "Silicon-based anodes have the potential to deliver major improvements in battery energy, power and charging performance, but successful commercialisation depends on materials that can be manufactured safely, economically, and at meaningful scale.

"Combining Sicona's technology platform with Advano's New Orleans facilities and US capabilities creates a strong opportunity to accelerate the development of advanced battery materials, and I look forward to supporting Sicona as it expands its scientific, manufacturing, and commercial activities in the United States."

Susan B. Bourgeois, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary, said: "When a global company chooses Louisiana for its first U.S. facility and headquarters, it speaks to the strength of what we have built here and the opportunity ahead. Sicona’s investment brings new innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities into Louisiana, creating high-wage careers and expanding the role our state can play in the industries and supply chains shaping America’s future.”

The project has been selected for US congressional appropriations funding, subject to completion of the applicable government processes.

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Please contact sicona@thirdhemisphere.agency for any interview requests

Sicona Battery Technologies (www.siconabattery.com) is an Australian battery technology company improving lithium-ion battery performance through silicon-carbon anode technology designed to increase energy density and improve charge and discharge rate. Its SiCx^® technology is designed for compatibility with existing battery manufacturing lines, supporting battery manufacturers and supply chain partners seeking higher-performance anode materials for electric vehicles, defence, power tools, and other lithium-ion battery applications.

Hanna Tiensuu
Third Hemisphere
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