Australia possesses abundant raw materials and leading mining, mineral processing, and advanced manufacturing expertise, uniquely positioned to support a world-class battery industry. However, Australia must catch up with other countries to establish a local battery supply chain. This poses significant challenges to energy security, national security, the economy, and climate. To address this issue, Energy Renaissance proposes the “BIG POWER” strategy, which calls for the government to develop a national battery strategy with specific Australian content requirements to establish a local battery supply chain. The proposed strategy comprises four phases:

 

 

Implementing the BIG POWER strategy would create local jobs, address energy security and national defence challenges, and position Australia as a global leader in battery production. To implement the strategy, a new Battery Industry Growth Centre – based on the successful Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) model – should be formed and tasked with implementing the BIG POWER plan.