ESS CEO Interviewed on Barcharts Live, Discusses Business Combination and More
ESS CEO Drew Buckley discussed the company’s proposed business combination, sodium-ion expansion, and U.S. supply chain resilience during a Barchart Live interview on X.
During the interview, Buckley outlined ESS’s proposed business combination, framed as a non-binding Letter of Intent, which aims to create a stronger platform for competing in the expanding energy storage market. The potential transaction is positioned to enhance ESS’s ability to address opportunities in renewable energy integration and rising power demands from data centers. Buckley emphasized the strategic rationale behind the move while avoiding disclosure of specific financial or structural details.
Buckley highlighted ESS’s expansion into sodium-ion technology, including the launch of the Bridge™ modular battery system with a 1.2 MWh capacity. He noted sodium-ion’s safety benefits, broad temperature tolerance, and simplified architecture as key advantages for short- and medium-duration storage applications. Customer interest from data centers and renewable projects was cited as a growing driver for adoption.
The discussion also underscored the continued role of ESS’s iron flow technology, particularly for long-duration storage requiring 20+ hours of discharge. Buckley stressed that both sodium-ion and iron flow technologies serve distinct but complementary roles in meeting diverse energy storage needs across the market.
Buckley emphasized the importance of developing a U.S.-based battery supply chain to reduce geopolitical risks and overseas dependencies. ESS’s strategy focuses on non-lithium materials and domestic manufacturing to align with evolving U.S. supply chain requirements while improving resilience and sourcing transparency.