GrafTech International and Antora Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to produce carbon materials for thermal energy storage systems. These batteries store electricity as heat within solid carbon blocks, avoiding the use of lithium. Production will take place at GrafTech's facility in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, where eight baking furnaces have been restarted to support the project.
The technology utilizes affordable raw materials like petroleum coke, which undergo high-temperature processing. Antora targets industrial sectors such as metallurgy, chemical manufacturing, and food production, as well as data centers. The modular design allows units to be manufactured off-site and installed at customer locations, significantly reducing deployment timelines compared to traditional energy infrastructure.
Antora has already moved beyond the laboratory phase, launching the Big Stone project in South Dakota this May to supply energy to a POET biofuel plant. In July, the company secured $550 million in funding to scale its operations. While the current agreement with GrafTech is a memorandum of understanding, future contracts will define specific production volumes and supply terms.
