Antora and Pratt Energy to build 5.8 GWh thermal battery in Kansas

A company called Antora Energy is building a large thermal battery in Pratt, Kansas, to supply heat to Pratt Energy's ethanol refinery there. The system stores 5.8 gigawatt-hours of energy by heating insulated blocks of solid carbon with electricity, then releasing that heat for industrial use over multiple days. It's one of two major thermal battery projects Antora has announced this year, following a similar 5 gigawatt-hour installation in South Dakota earlier in 2026.

For the refinery, the project is meant to help it move toward producing ethanol with no net carbon emissions, which could open up new markets for its fuel. The deal is backed by outside investors, including Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, an Australian firm called Grok Ventures, and University Pension Plan Ontario. Antora says the project will create more than 100 construction and operating jobs and will draw little extra water beyond what the refinery already uses. The company has also set up a paid internship program with Pratt Community College to give local students experience with energy systems, and says it plans to hire locally for permanent jobs at the site.

This isn't a residential technology and doesn't involve home upgrades or rebates. It's part of a broader push by Antora, which recently raised $550 million and is expanding its manufacturing in California, to bring large-scale thermal storage to heavy industry as a way to handle rising electricity demand, including in states like Kansas.