Powering South Dakota Industry with Affordable Energy

Antora is commissioning a 5 gigawatt-hour, multi-day thermal energy storage system at POET's bioprocessing facility in Big Stone City, South Dakota. The deployment ranks among the world's largest battery storage projects, delivered at the speed required to meet surging domestic energy demand.

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    FIRM ENERGY AT THE SPEED AND SCALE THIS MOMENT DEMANDS

    Project Big Stone advanced from an empty lot to delivering energy in under 12 months. The landmark project, which will be completed later this year, deploys over 200 of Antora’s thermal batteries to deliver affordable, round-the-clock energy to POET—the world's largest producer of biofuels—at their Big Stone City plant under a long-term energy offtake agreement.

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    MAKING AMERICAN INDUSTRY MORE COMPETITIVE

    Antora's thermal batteries improve efficiency and lower costs at POET's Big Stone facility—helping produce cheaper, homegrown fuel that reduces harmful emissions and lowers prices at the gas pump. The project also enables POET to increase production, creating tens of millions of dollars annually in new market opportunities for South Dakota farmers.

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    CREATING JOBS FROM CALIFORNIA TO SOUTH DAKOTA

    Every thermal battery at Big Stone was manufactured at Antora's recently expanded San Jose, CA gigafactory, using safe and abundant materials with a supply chain that spans a dozen U.S. states. The deployment has created and supported over 300 jobs, from the factory floor in California to the project site in rural South Dakota.

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    Every battery installed in South Dakota is made at Antora's San Jose, CA gigafactory.
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Building America's Energy Future

POET is dedicated to supplying the world with affordable, American-made biofuels and bioproducts. Our nation’s energy future will be defined by innovation, and that’s exactly what we’re focused on—pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and delivering viable solutions that strengthen national security and rural economies. By investing in next-generation technologies, we’re leading the way to a biofuture powered by American energy.

Jeff Broin
Founder & CEO, POET

Homegrown energy sources create good-paying jobs, support our agriculture producers, and provide affordable options for consumers. I’m grateful for this impressive addition to South Dakota’s budding biofuels industry, and I can’t wait to see the benefits for South Dakota producers and families across our state.

Senator John Thune

America’s need for energy is continuing to rise year after year. The more of that energy we can make right here at home, the better. POET and Antora’s project in Big Stone City will have a real economic impact in South Dakota while also creating jobs and boosting our domestic energy production.

Senator Mike Rounds

South Dakota’s grit and innovative spirit together have made this project possible, which will help meet the rising energy needs of today and tomorrow. This is a critical investment in affordable, reliable energy, fueling South Dakota’s role in bolstering America’s domestic energy dominance.

Representative Dusty Johnson

South Dakota continues to lead the nation in economic growth, and I’m committed to ensuring our state remains Open for Opportunity. I’m proud that the State of South Dakota helped make this project a reality. Antora’s partnership with POET creates new jobs and strengthens our economy for years to come.

Governor Larry Rhoden of South Dakota

Antora has built something genuinely compelling, a technology and a team capable of delivering affordable, reliable energy to American industry at real scale. Our conviction in the technology, the team, and the commercial fundamentals gave us the confidence to structure a financing solution befitting the project’s transformative nature. The commercial logic is strong, the opportunity consequential, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Antora as they scale this technology across America and the world.

Ridhaa Ahmed
Head of Infrastructure and Private Equity, Grok Ventures

With this project, Antora is delivering affordable energy to POET—fast. We’re proud of what this deployment means for the workers who designed, built, and installed these batteries, and more broadly, for American manufacturing. This is what reindustrialization looks like—American innovation driving industrial competitiveness, domestic supply chains spanning a dozen states, and jobs from the factory floor to the construction site. And it’s all delivered at the speed required to meet soaring domestic energy demand.

Andrew Ponec
Co-Founder & CEO, Antora

What we’ve built in South Dakota shows Antora can deliver the reliable and affordable energy required for American competitiveness. We’re proud of what we’ve built with POET, and we’re ready to bring our solution to industrial facilities and data centers across America.

Jordan Kearns
EVP of Project Development, Antora

Project Overview

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At 5 gigawatt-hours of energy storage capacity, Project Big Stone ranks among the largest battery storage projects in the world.

  • Energy Storage Capacity 5 GWh
  • Around-the-clock energy delivery 50 MW
  • Empty Lot to Energy Delivery < 1 year
  • Offtaker CapEx Investment Zero
  • Energy Offtaker POET
  • Project Equity Investor Grok Ventures
  • Power Supply Otter Tail Power
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DELIVERING 24/7 ENERGY WHILE BENEFITING EVERYONE ON THE GRID

Antora worked closely with Otter Tail Power—a utility that provides power at some of the lowest costs in the nation to customers across South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota—to develop an innovative electric rate that enables the system to deliver 24/7 energy without increasing costs for other consumers. Approved by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission last year, the rate allows the system to selectively and rapidly charge during periods of surplus local energy production, making better use of existing grid infrastructure. The structure offers a model for utilities across the country to rapidly integrate thermal energy storage while benefiting everyone on the grid.

Empty Lot to Energy Delivery in Under 12 Months

  • One of the biggest batteries on Earth

  • Deployed in under 12 months

  • Same batteries power industry & data centers

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HOW IT WORKS

Antora's thermal batteries store low-cost electricity as heat in insulated blocks of solid carbon. This heat is then delivered around-the-clock to drive industrial processes or is converted back into electricity.

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Intermittent,
Low-Cost Energy

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Energy Stored as Heat in Carbon Blocks

A rendering of Antora’s thermal battery.
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Reliable Energy for Data Centers & Industry

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Let's talk about what Antora can do for your business.