Australia-Based Sicona Battery Technologies Plans New Orleans, Louisiana, Headquarters Operations

Area Development News Desk

09/19/2026

Australia-based battery materials developer Sicona Battery Technologies plans to establish operations in New Orleans, Louisiana. The $10.3 million project is expected to create 32 jobs.

The company’s new U.S. headquarters facility, located at the New Orleans Regional Business Park in New Orleans East, will manufacture silicon-carbon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

“This acquisition is a major strategic step in Sicona's transition from an Australian battery-materials company into a global lithium-silicon battery platform with a permanent operating base in the United States,” said Sicona Battery Technologies Founder and CEO Christiaan Jordaan. “ADVANO and the New Orleans Regional Business Park have built an important foundation, and we intend to build on that work as we grow our US operations. We are proud to become part of the Louisiana business community, and we see New Orleans as the right place to build a long-term advanced-manufacturing presence, supported by an experienced industrial workforce and a strong research and engineering base.”

To support the project, the State of Louisiana offered an incentives package and the opportunity to participate in the High Impact Jobs Program, the Industrial Tax Exemption Program and LED FastStart.

“When a global company chooses Louisiana for its first U.S. facility and headquarters, it speaks to the strength of what we have built here and the opportunity ahead,” noted Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois. “Sicona’s investment brings new innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities into Louisiana, creating high-wage careers and expanding the role our state can play in the industries and supply chains shaping America’s future.”

Sicona Battery Technologies develops silicon-carbon anode materials designed to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries used in applications including data center backup systems, robotics, power tools, autonomous systems, drones, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and defense systems.

“Sicona's decision to build its U.S. headquarters in New Orleans East is a strong signal of confidence in the region's battery and advanced manufacturing talent and research institutions capabilities to take ideas to large scale production,” added Greater New Orleans, Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht. “By acquiring ADVANO and scaling their operations, Sicona is growing a global supply chain on top of technology and expertise that were homegrown here, illustrating the ability for global companies to enter the market with a plug and play opportunity that is creating jobs, investment, and economic mobility paths for residents rather than starting from scratch somewhere else.”

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