Group1 and Michigan Potash & Salt Company Announce Strategic Collaboration to Build America's Potassium-to-Battery Supply Chain

AUSTIN, Texas and EVART, Mich., Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Group1, Inc., a leader in potassium-ion battery (KIB) technology, and Michigan Potash & Salt Company, LLC (MPSC), developer of the United States' largest potash and salt production facility, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to advance a fully domestic potassium supply chain—from mineral resource to advanced energy storage.

As data-center growth and industrial electrification accelerate, demand for safe, scalable batteries is surging. Lithium-ion supply chains are heavily concentrated overseas and are dependent on complex critical metals supply chains that include cobalt, nickel, and copper. The pairing of domestic potash production with a U.S. potassium-ion battery platform that is not reliant on critical metals, strengthens America's energy security and industrial base.

Michigan Potash & Salt Company (MPSC) is developing the U.S. Potash Project in Michigan, supported by a $1.26 billion conditional loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office (LPO). The project will produce high-purity potassium chloride (potash) using advanced geothermal extraction technologies, re-establishing domestic production that secures America's agricultural supply chain—and now, through this collaboration, opening a new pathway to U.S. energy sovereignty built on the same potassium foundation.

Group1, Inc. is pioneering a new generation of critical-metal-free, high-power potassium-ion battery systems that are inherently safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries and fully manufacturable in the United States. Originating from the research lineage of Nobel Laureate John B. Goodenough, co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery, Group1's platform initially targets immediate use cases in datacenter, defense, and industrial markets—all critical to U.S. energy resilience and reindustrialization.

Together, MPSC and Group1 represent the bookends of a new American potash ecosystem—linking domestic raw-material extraction with advanced battery manufacturing to anchor a secure, sovereign, and scalable U.S. energy-technology supply chain.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the companies will explore not only long-term supply and co-investment opportunities, but strategic industrial alignment linking MPSC's potash production, processing infrastructure and Group1's advanced potassium-ion battery manufacturing ecosystem. The collaboration also envisions the use of Group1's potassium-ion battery-based data-center backup battery systems (UPS systems) at the U.S. Potash Project further demonstrating the vertical integration of America's potash resource base.

"We cannot back up our data centers or run our hospitals while relying on critically-dependent and deliberately manipulated global battery supply chains," said Theodore Pagano, CEO of Michigan Potash & Salt Company.

By combining our domestic potash production with Group1's advanced potassium-ion battery platform, we're reshaping those chains for U.S. sovereignty—from the agricultural fields to critical infrastructure. This collaboration delivers strategic industrial alignment and positions America to reclaim leadership in both raw materials and advanced manufacturing."

"This partnership brings together two companies committed to rebuilding American industrial capability from the ground up," said Alexander Girau, CEO of Group1, Inc.

"From agriculture to energy, we're proving that the same element that powers our crops can power our critical infrastructure. At full conversion, the U.S. Potash Project's output equates to roughly 400 GWh per year of battery capacity—enough to cover a meaningful share of America's 2030 storage needs with U.S. materials, U.S. manufacturing, and U.S. jobs. Even 1% (about 4 GWh) is enough capacity to harden dozens of hyperscale data centers—or hundreds of enterprise and edge sites, shore up critical substations and hospitals, and support priority defense installations—without leaning on fragile foreign supply chains."

The signing of the MOU marks a major step toward realizing a domestic potash-to-battery platform that supports U.S. clean-energy goals, strengthens supply-chain security, and unlocks new commercial pathways for both firms.

About Group1, Inc.
Group1 Inc. is developing the world's first commercial potassium-ion battery platform—critical-metal-free, high-power, and fully manufacturable in the United States—building on the research legacy of Nobel Laureate John B. Goodenough. Group1 serves high-power markets including datacenter, defense, and industrial applications.
www.group1.ai

About Michigan Potash & Salt Company, LLC
Michigan Potash & Salt Company is developing the U.S. Potash Project, America's largest and most advanced potash and salt production facility. Supported by a $80 million dollar grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, and a $1.26 billion conditional loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office, MPSC's mission is to advance U.S. food security by strengthening domestic supply chains..
www.mipotash.com

Media Contacts:
Group1 Inc. — [email protected]
Michigan Potash & Salt Company LLC — [email protected]

SOURCE Group1