Alsym Energy and Re:Build Manufacturing have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop commercial-scale sodium-ion battery cell manufacturing capacity in the United States , aiming the first industrial push at stationary storage customers that want a domestic, non-lithium supply chain. The companies announced the agreement on June 2, with industry coverage following June 3. The plan centers on Re:Build's existing facility in New Kensington, Pennsylvania , near Pittsburgh. Alsym brings its Na-Series sodium-ion chemistry, while Re:Build contributes domestic manufacturing, battery pack and module experience, and a broader onshoring platform that spans aerospace, defense, electrification, medical, robotics, and energy customers. AI-generated image The Alsym and Re:Build MOU targets commercial-scale sodium-ion cell production for stationary storage. 9 GWh Alsym publicly announced customer commitments 45X IRA manufacturing credit named in the plan PA New Kensington facility focus Why This MOU Matters The battery industry has plenty of cell announcements. This one stands out because it connects three pressures that are now shaping U.S. storage procurement: lithium-ion fire scrutiny, domestic-content economics, and the search for non-Chinese cell supply. Alsym and Re:Build are not presenting sodium-ion as an EV range breakthrough. They are aiming at energy storage systems, where safety, cost, permitting, cycle profile, and supply security can matter more than maximum energy density. That positioning is important. Lithium iron phosphate still dominates grid storage because it is durable, comparatively low cost, and widely available. But lithium-ion systems bring thermal runaway concerns that can complicate projects near buildings, dense communities, industrial sites, data centers, and critical infrastructure. Alsym says its Na-Series chemistry is non-flammable and thermally stable at the cell level, reducing the need for some fire suppression, cooling, and deployment restrictions that developers often have to design around. The key claim Alsym says its sodium-ion cells use earth-abundant materials, eliminate thermal runaway risk, support wide operating temperatures, and can charge and discharge quickly enough for multiple cycles per day. Those claims still have to be proven at commercial scale, but they are exactly the attributes storage buyers are asking for as projects move closer to load centers. The Pennsylvania Manufacturing Angle The collaboration will focus on Re:Build's facility in New Kensington, a Pittsburgh-area community with deep manufacturing history. For Re:Build, cell manufacturing is a step beyond battery pack and module assembly. CEO Miles Arnone framed the move as part of the company's broader mission to rebuild U.S. industrial capacity and meet customer demand for a reliable battery supply chain located inside the country. That domestic location matters for more than branding. The companies specifically point to Inflation Reduction Act manufacturing incentives, including the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit . They also say the supply chain will be non-FEOC, meaning it is designed to avoid foreign entity of concern restrictions that increasingly shape battery procurement, defense applications, tax-credit eligibility, and project financing. AI-generated image Domestic cell production could reduce shipping lead times and help storage integrators qualify for U.S. incentives. The caveat is that an MOU is not a factory opening. The announcement did not specify final production capacity, a firm start date, capex, or signed offtake tied directly to the Pennsylvania line. Investors and storage integrators will want those details before treating the project as bankable supply. Still, the location and partner choice show how quickly non-lithium battery companies are adapting their message to U.S. industrial policy. A Sodium-Ion Strategy Built Around Storage, Not Cars Sodium-ion cells generally trade away some energy density compared with premium lithium-ion chemistries. That is a problem for long-range EVs, but it is less decisive in containers, buildings, or industrial storage rooms where space and weight are usually secondary to installed cost, safety, availability, and permitting speed. Alsym's market list reflects that logic. The company cites AI data centers, utilities, commercial real estate, defense, mining, industrial facilities, and other stationary uses. These buyers often need high-power response, multiple daily cycles, and confidence that storage can be installed near valuable assets without adding unacceptable fire risk. If sodium-ion can reduce cooling and fire-suppression requirements, it could lower total system cost even when the cell-level energy density is lower. AI-generated image Sodium-ion's storage case depends on safety, supply security, and cost more than headline energy density. The announcement also builds on recent commercial signals. Alsym says it has publicly announced 9 GWh in customer commitments. In April, ESS Tech signed a letter of intent to add 8.5 GWh of Alsym sodium-ion cells and modules to a broader non-lithium storage portfolio. In May, Alsym and Juniper Energy announced a 500 MWh strategic partnership for deployments in California. Those are not the same as mass production revenue, but they help explain why Re:Build would see customer demand behind the manufacturing plan. The Safety Premium Is Becoming a Market Storage developers have spent years arguing that modern lithium-ion systems can be deployed safely when designed and operated properly. That remains true. The issue is that permitting friction has become a real cost. Local moratoriums, fire-code reviews, emergency-response planning, insurance scrutiny, and siting limits can delay projects even when the underlying economics work. A non-flammable chemistry gives developers a different permitting story. That does not remove the need for engineering discipline or standards compliance, but it can shift the conversation from managing combustion risk to proving electrical, enclosure, and operational safety. In dense commercial or data-center settings, that difference may be worth paying for. What storage buyers will watch next Confirmed cell capacity and production timing in New Kensington. Independent safety testing and bankability data for Na-Series systems. Delivered system cost versus LFP storage after fire-safety and cooling equipment are included. Domestic-content qualification under IRA rules and FEOC restrictions. Whether early commitments convert into signed projects, deliveries, and operating data. Part of a Bigger Non-Lithium Push Alsym is not alone. Peak Energy is piloting sodium-ion storage with RWE in Wisconsin. Hithium has shown sodium-ion products for data-center backup. CATL continues pushing sodium-ion toward broader production in China. Iron-air, iron-flow, zinc, thermal, and other long-duration systems are also competing for storage roles that lithium-ion does not fill perfectly. The clearest trend is specialization. Lithium-ion will keep winning huge volumes where cost and supply are strongest. Non-lithium chemistries are targeting pockets where buyers need safer siting, longer duration, domestic sourcing, lower dependence on lithium and cobalt, or a better fit for daily operating profiles. Alsym's Re:Build partnership sits directly in that specialized lane. AI-generated image Data centers, utilities, and commercial sites are becoming target markets for safer non-lithium storage. The Battery Industry Takeaway The Alsym and Re:Build agreement is early, but it shows where U.S. storage manufacturing is heading. Developers want cells that are available, safe enough for tougher sites, eligible for domestic incentives, and insulated from tariff and supply-chain shocks. Sodium-ion does not need to beat LFP everywhere to matter. It needs to win the sites where lithium-ion's risk profile, sourcing, or total installed cost become