MILTON KEYNES, UK — UK battery technology company Integrals Power has been selected as the cathode active materials supplier for a £2 million government-funded project aimed at advancing LMFP battery technology for both defence applications and electric vehicles.
Funding is through the Battery Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK and supported by the Department for Business and Trade as part of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy. The 30-month project will establish an end-to-end supply chain based in the UK and Europe to demonstrate sovereign battery manufacturing capability.
Integrals Power will produce hundreds of kilograms of its patented Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cathode active material at its multi-tonne manufacturing facility in Milton Keynes. The material will be supplied to the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry to manufacture pouch and cylindrical demonstrator cells (in 21700 and 4695 formats) on UKBIC’s new Flexible Pilot Line.
Key project insights
- Sovereign supply chain: The 30-month project is the first of its kind to use an end-to-end supply chain based in the UK and Europe, establishing critical sovereign battery manufacturing capabilities for defence applications within NATO.
- LMFP performance advantage: Integrals Power’s material features an 80% manganese content, delivering up to 20% higher energy density than standard LFP while eliminating reliance on critical minerals like cobalt and nickel.
- Dual-use applications: Designed for automotive EV platforms and military equipment, including Denchi’s BB-2590 ruggedised battery packs for communications systems, drones, and marine backup power.
- Ecosystem collaboration: Led by battery supplier Denchi, with cell manufacturing handled by UKBIC and material synthesis provided by Integrals Power.
Strengthening supply chain resilience and battery performance
Demand across automotive and defence sectors requires batteries that offer high energy density, safety, and cost control without relying on concentrated international supply chains for critical minerals.
Integrals Power’s high-manganese LMFP offers an alternative to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) and Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) chemistries, using raw materials that can be sourced from Europe and North America and avoiding critical minerals.
“Our involvement in this programme reflects the growing recognition that LMFP will transform battery performance, cost, and supply chain resilience,” said Behnam Hormozi, Founder and CEO of Integrals Power. “By eliminating reliance on critical minerals such as cobalt and nickel while delivering higher energy density than LFP, LMFP is well suited to the evolving requirements of both defence and automotive applications. We are proud to contribute our materials expertise to a project that is helping to advance secure, sustainable battery technologies in the UK and beyond.”
Programme lead Denchi Group will integrate the cells produced at UKBIC into complete battery packs at its plant in Thurso, Scotland. Initial validation trials will retrofit Denchi’s existing BB-2590 military battery units — replacing traditional NMC cells with the newly developed LMFP cells.
“Sovereign capability is absolutely paramount, and by working in partnership on this programme with Integrals Power, UKBIC, and the UK government, we are playing our part in delivering exactly that,” said Andrew Cowie, CEO of Denchi Group. “We look forward to building the first LMFP battery packs and getting them out into the field for validation trials.”
Sean Gilgunn, Managing Director at UKBIC, highlighted the role of domestic scaling: “Collaboration across the UK battery ecosystem is essential to translating innovation into long-term, strategic capability. Supporting the development of LMFP cells within an integrated UK supply chain is an important step towards strengthening long-term competitiveness in a broad range of sectors, including defence and automotive.”
Project funding and scale-up
- Program funding: £2 million awarded via the Battery Innovation Programme (Innovate UK and Department for Business and Trade).
- Industrial scale-up: Production of cathode material at Integrals Power’s Milton Keynes plant, cell assembly via UKBIC’s Flexible Pilot Line in Coventry, and pack assembly at Denchi’s facility in Thurso, Scotland.
