Helping to enable competitive western LFP battery manufacturing
Integrals Power, a UK battery technology company, has successfully developed and manufactured Iron Phosphate precursor material in its UK facility
This low-temperature synthesis route reduces energy consumption and CO2 footprint, has no by-product dependency, and provides high-purity iron phosphate with tightly controlled particle properties. This is considered a significant breakthrough as Iron Phosphate is the main precursor used in the production of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery materials, and most of the world’s supply of Iron Phosphate and LFP comes from China.
The variety of Iron Phosphate material specifications was successfully manufactured by Integrals Power and was used to develop low-cost Lithium Iron Phosphate cathode materials. These have all been tested at the cell level in partnership with a UK university, and the results confirm that performance and quality exceed those of benchmark material samples from China at a cost competitive with incumbent Chinese supply on a $/kWh basis.
Proving that high-quality, cost-effective manufacturing of Iron Phosphate using raw materials sourced from localised supply chains is essential to establishing mass production of LFP cells in the UK, Europe, and North America. This is vital to improving the security, sustainability, and transparency of the entire value chain, and reducing reliance on China, which introduced export restrictions on battery cathode active materials, including LFP, manufacturing technologies, and cells.
Behnam Hormozi, founder and CEO of Integrals Power, said, “Almost every LFP battery in use today traces its supply chain back to China. We've spent years developing a way to change that – and now we can show it works, it's cost-competitive, and it's ready to scale. By rethinking the chemistry from first principles, we've developed a manufacturing process for the Iron Phosphate precursor that is cleaner, more energy-efficient and – as our testing confirms – produces a better material. It’s a breakthrough that represents the foundations on which a viable Western LFP supply chain can be built, and for EVs, grid energy storage, and the data centres that power AI, this is of paramount importance.”
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Global EV Outlook 2025 report found that in 2024, LFP batteries accounted for over 10% of Europe’s EV battery market, representing a year-on-year growth of 90% for two consecutive years. Of these, the IEA stated that nearly all were made in China. The IEA also underlined the risk posed by this situation, highlighting that OEMs in Europe see LFP as a means to reduce costs, yet the Chinese government's export restrictions on battery materials and technology pose a threat to manufacturing in Europe as long as reliance on China remains unchanged.
Localised supply chains are also set to become increasingly advantageous to meeting the requirements of EU battery regulations, and compliance with the Rules of Origin requirements that apply to EVs exported between the EU and the UK from 2027: 55% of an EV’s overall value, and 65% and 70% of the cells and battery pack respectively must be made in the EU or UK to avoid 10% tariffs.
Grid-scale energy storage systems are reliant on LFP: IEA figures reveal that over 90% of all those made worldwide use this cell chemistry, make energy security dependence a strategically important factor behind the urgent establishment of localised supply chains to supply the batteries needed in the smart grids that buffer large quantities of renewable energy and deliver back-up power to high-demand and fast-growing industries such as AI and data centres.
Integrals Power has also patented several innovations for over 20 cathode active materials, including LFP, highlighting that this cell chemistry holds development potential in applications where cost and safety are the most important attributes. Successfully demonstrating that the Iron Phosphate precursors required to manufacture it can be made and commercialised in the UK further emphasises the role it can play in establishing and growing sovereign capability in this sector.
Over the coming months, Integrals Power is set to begin supplying FP and Lithium Iron Phosphate samples to OEMs, battery cell manufacturers, and strategic partners as part of structured validation programmes.
These samples will support performance benchmarking across various applications. This validation phase is an essential step toward broader industrial adoption. Subject to successful customer qualification, Intergrals Power will proceed to commercial scale-up, expanding precursor and large-volume manufacturing in the UK, Europe, and North America.
