KORE Power, a U.S. battery maker that was recently awarded a multi-million-dollar loan by the Department of Energy, is dependent on technology provided by a Chinese company with close ties to the Communist Party.
The Daily Caller reported Tuesday that Chinese media confirmed that a business with ties to the Chinese Communist Party will supply essential technology for a U.S. battery plant in Arizona.
According to the Daily Caller, the Department of Energy recently awarded KORE Power, a U.S. batter firm, a $850 million loan to build the “KOREPlex,” a battery-cell production facility located in Arizona.
While the Department of Energy announced the multi-million-dollar loan as part of the Biden administration’s goal to “onshore supply chains,” KOREPlex is reportedly planning to rely on technology provided by Do-Flouride New Materials, which is KORE Power’s Chinese manufacturing partner. Jigar Shah, director of the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office confirmed the partnership between KORE Power and the Chinese manufacturer in recent interview, according to the Daily Caller.
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“In this deal that we most recently announced two weeks ago, KORE, it’s an American company … they’ve been around for a long time, but they are using technology from a Chinese company, DFD, to manufacture battery cells in Arizona,” Shah said.
While Shah did not acknowledge the company’s connection to the Chinese Communist Party, Do-Flouride New Materials Chairman Li Shijang was honored by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 2021 as an “Outstanding Communist Party Member, according to Xinhua News Agency, a Chinese news outlet.
Xue Xujin, Do-Flouride New Materials deputy general manager was also listed previously as a member of the Chinese Communist Party. Additionally, the company has reportedly received awards from the Chinese Communist Party for “outstanding contributions” to science.
With Du-Flouride New Materials set to be the “primary manufacturer” of KORE Power’s Mark 1 battery, the Daily Caller noted that Shah’s claim that the Department of Energy “rejected” any potential deals with companies “tied to an authoritative state,” seems to go against the department’s recent loan award to KORE Power.
