An Australian battery materials company is setting up its first U.S. headquarters in New Orleans East, promising 32 direct jobs that pay an average of $101,500 a year — about 50 percent above the Orleans Parish average wage. Sicona Battery Technologies is investing $10.3 million to build out the operation at the New Orleans East Regional Business Park, and officials estimate the project could generate another 52 indirect jobs across the region.
The investment, detailed in a project release from Louisiana Economic Development, will see Sicona equip the site with its proprietary SiCx® silicon-carbon anode process. LED describes the plan as scaling the facility into a “Super Pilot” capable of producing material for more than 3 million battery cells. Sicona is headquartered in Australia and led by founder and CEO Christiaan Jordaan, who previously secured a $45 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to build a commercial battery material plant in Wollongong, according to Greenlink.
As reported by Fox 8, Sicona expects to create 30 six-figure jobs by the end of 2027, with dozens more potentially following if the company lands anticipated contracts. The station reports the New Orleans East jobs will pay at least $100,000 each, and Sicona plans to hire chemical engineers, process engineers, battery scientists, and laboratory personnel. Per the same account, the company's technology is designed to improve lithium-ion battery performance, boosting existing battery energy by 20 to 100 percent and enhancing the speed at which energy can be extracted from a cell.
A Dormant Plant Gets a Second Life
The site Sicona is acquiring wasn't built from scratch — it's the former home of Advano, a New Orleans startup led by CEO and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Shiva Adireddy, according to Partech. Advano graduated from Y Combinator in 2017 and raised over $42 million in venture capital, including an $18.5 million round in 2020.
Advano officially opened its New Orleans East pilot plant across from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in January 2024 to produce ton-scale volumes for electric vehicle qualification, according to Advano's own announcement. The facility has been under care and maintenance for about a year and a half, Fox 8 reports, before Sicona's acquisition set the stage for it to be restarted. Sicona also has a longer-term vision to locate a larger commercial facility in New Orleans, which the company expects could create many more jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional investment, the station notes.
City Officials Tout Corridor Strategy
The announcement lands just two months after New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and District E Councilmember Jason Hughes unveiled the “New Orleans East Investment and Job Corridors” plan in July, which identified the Michoud Innovation Corridor and Port and Logistics Corridor, according to the City of New Orleans Mayor's Office. Moreno has said she hopes the Sicona announcement will lead to additional business investment in the area, and the city has road, lighting, and other infrastructure improvements underway in New Orleans East, Fox 8 reports.
Greater New Orleans, Inc. credits state and local incentives with helping land Sicona's U.S. headquarters, according to the station, noting the organization made a business development trip to Australia last year specifically to recruit the company. The region includes NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility and the planned Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish.
Part of a Broader Manufacturing Push
Sicona's arrival fits a pattern of advanced manufacturing investment building in New Orleans East. Defense contractor Textron Systems expanded its facility there, as Hoodline previously reported. Space station hardware contractor Vivace was also featured in a Hoodline report on Michoud, which Hoodline has covered before.
Sicona's silicon-carbon battery materials are aimed at high-growth technical markets, including artificial intelligence data center backup power, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, drones, robotics, power tools, and defense technology, according to Louisiana Economic Development. Fox 8 reports the technology serves artificial intelligence data centers, robotics, power tools, and drones as well. Whether Sicona can eventually scale the New Orleans East site into the large commercial facility it envisions remains to be seen as the company moves toward restarting the plant.
