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/daily ·04 OCT 2026 ·SUNDAY ·1 MIN READ ·5 STORIES

Manganese, megawatt-hours, and a Korean cell format

A Sunday of chemistry milestones: GM's Tennessee plant switched cathode types, India's Khavda complex nearly doubled, and Samsung brought a new cell format to data-centre backup power.

01 / The Day

SUNDAY 04 OCT 2026, ranked

05

GM-LG Ultium retool Tennessee for manganese-rich cells

The GM-LG Ultium joint venture is converting its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant to produce manganese-rich cathode cells, cutting cobalt dependence and lowering costs.

  • Spring Hill facility converting to LMFP/manganese-rich chemistry
  • Cobalt content reduced by over 70% versus prior NMC cells
  • First cells from the retooled line expected Q1 2027
Why it mattersCutting cobalt is the battery industry's most important supply-chain move of the decade — Tennessee shows it's becoming mainstream, not experimental.
01 energy-storage.news↗

Adani Green's Khavda BESS expands to 6.63 GWh

Adani Green Energy has expanded its Khavda battery energy storage system in Gujarat to 6.63 GWh, making it one of the largest operational BESS installations in the world.

  • Total capacity now 6.63 GWh at the Khavda complex
  • Paired with 30 GW of renewable generation capacity at the site
  • Supports India's 500 GW non-fossil target by 2030
Why it mattersKhavda's scale shows that utility BESS is no longer a pilot category — gigawatt-hour storage is now deployed infrastructure in emerging markets.
02 ess-news.com↗

Samsung SDI launches AI data-centre LFP cell format

Samsung SDI debuted a new cylindrical LFP battery format at the Singapore expo, targeting AI data-centre backup power where cycle life and fire safety matter most.

  • New cylindrical LFP cell optimised for UPS and rack-scale backup
  • 2,000+ cycle life at 80% capacity retention
  • First shipments to hyperscaler customers in Q2 2027
Why it mattersLFP's safety profile is increasingly the deciding factor as hyperscalers race to build data centres fast — Samsung is betting the chemistry wins on compliance grounds.
03 koreajoongangdaily.joins.com↗

US battery storage heading for 24.3 GW annual record in 2026

The US is on track to install 24.3 GW of battery storage in 2026, shattering the previous annual record and cementing storage as the fastest-growing segment of the grid.

  • 24.3 GW projected for 2026, up 40% year-on-year
  • Texas and California account for over half of new capacity
  • IRA tax credits driving project economics across all regions
Why it mattersAn annual record by this margin makes battery storage an unstoppable grid fixture — utilities that have not planned for it are already behind.
04 govmarketnews.com↗

Stryten acquires Trojan Battery, builds 18-facility US network

Stryten Energy completed its acquisition of Trojan Battery, giving it an 18-facility US manufacturing network spanning lead-acid, lithium, and flow battery chemistries.

  • Stryten now operates 18 US manufacturing and R&D facilities
  • Trojan's deep-cycle lead-acid expertise adds industrial storage
  • Combined entity targets $2B revenue in 2027
Why it mattersConsolidation across battery chemistries signals US manufacturers are betting on a multi-chemistry future rather than a single-winner outcome.
05 stryten.com↗
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/SUN 04 OCTManganese, megawatt-hours, and a Korean cell format/SAT 03 OCTIndia, Amazon, and a very tall turbine/FRI 02 OCTFriday Energy: permitting law data-centre clause, Sungrow BESS live/THU 01 OCTEnergy Tech · Thursday 1 October 2026/WED 30 SEPTCATL Debrecen live; Senate permitting deal; first US sodium-ion plant/TUE 29 SEPTSolar passed nuclear. Efficiency records followed./MON 28 SEPTInfrastructure Everywhere, Policy Nowhere/SUN 27 SEPT400 Wh/kg solid-state is real; Tesla closes the lithium loop/SAT 26 SEPTEurope's battery superstores break ground; solar hits 3 cents/THU 24 SEPTRecord storage quarter, 100 GW of US panels, and a fight for offshore wind/WED 23 SEPTCourts, Concrete, and Capacity: Clean Energy's September Sprint/TUE 22 SEPTMaking Things Real/MON 21 SEPTOklo splits atoms, courts push back on coal, and China's solid-state surge/SAT 19 SEPTFires, Fusion, and a Very Big Factory/FRI 18 SEPTThe Iran premium and the geothermal surge/THU 17 SEPTThe Cost Collapse Accelerates/WED 16 SEPTFCC Inverter Ban, America's Solar Milestone, and Sodium-Ion at Scale/TUE 15 SEPTThe battery era, still accelerating/MON 14 SEPTSolid-State Sunday/SUN 13 SEPTSolid State Sunday/FRI 11 SEPTTandem Record, Grid Alert