As a practical part of the 3rd SPRINT project’s Consortium Meeting, the partners had the opportunity to visit AVESTA Battery & Energy Engineering’s (ABEE) facilities in Ninove, Belgium on 28th January 2026.
This on-site experience was a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand insights into advanced battery development. As the leader of Work Package 4 (WP4), AVESTA (ABEE) is responsible for upscaling materials and processes for pilot-level manufacturing. Their involvement and leadership in WP4 will enable the assembly of multiple pouch-cell prototypes, which will be used for demonstration and proof-testing to ensure the safe use of the sodium-ion batteries.
Indeed, sodium-ion batteries are a safer, more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to lithium batteries, that largely dominate the European battery market today. Moreover, the production of sodium-ion batteries relies on materials that are abundantly present in Europe, making it resilient to external supply chain risks.
To translate theoretical assumptions into tangible reality, the visit allowed partners to closely observe and explore several facilities that will support the SPRINT project. They first visited a dry room capable of operating down to a dew point of –60 °C. They were then introduced to the pilot production line for sodium‑ion batteries, along with several laboratories that support cell manufacturing.
The visit offered a valuable perspective on industrial-scale processes and best practices, reinforcing SPRINT’s commitment to bridging cutting-edge research with scalable sodium-ion battery technologies.
To put the project’s achievements into practice in its later stages, SPRINT batteries will be tested real‑life applications: in Austria, for grid balancing solutions closely linked to renewable energy; and in Lithuania for residential use, solar integration and EV charging.
We would like to sincerely thank AVESTA for hosting the insightful visit and for sharing their experience and expertise with the SPRINT project partners.
