Mexican-based fluorspar producer Koura signed a technology licensing agreement with Japanese-based chemical manufacturer Kanto Denka Kogyo (KDK) to manufacture lithium hexaflorophosphate (LiPF6) electrolyte salts in North America.    

Koura has signed a technology licensing agreement with Kanto Denka Kogyo to supply lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) to the North American battery market.  The agreement provides Koura access to KDK’s technology and industry expertise in commercial LiPF6 production. This follows Koura’s US$100M grant from the U.S Department of Energy (DoE) in 2022 to facilitate the North American energy transition.  Koura’s intent is to use the DoE grant to build the first LiPF6 manufacturing plant in the USA at the company’s existing fluorochemical production site in Louisiana. The latest agreement with KDK is therefore in line with Koura’s strategy to secure North America’s supply of key battery materials access to proven LiPF6 technology vital to support downstream demand.

Fluorine is the primary component of LiPF6, an electrolyte salt that enables lithium ions to flow through the battery. Project Blue forecast fluorspar in the battery sector will increase at a CAGR of over 20%py over the next decade, driven by demand for Li-ion technologies. Koura is currently the world’s largest fluorspar producer and a downstream integrated company capable of producing a wide variety of fluoroproducts.