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Exclusive: Antora fires up 5 GWh thermal battery system in first commercial deployment

Alan Neuhauser

May 19, 2026

Industrial energy facility with a beige building labeled "ANTORA" at center, surrounded by rows of white battery cabinets, extensive pipes, and smoke plumes in the background. — Lines of Antora thermal batteries sit near the Poet bioprocessing plant in South Dakota. Photo: Courtesy of Antora Energy

Antora Energy, a BlackRock-backed thermal batteries developer, is commissioning a 5 gigawatt-hour system for biofuels producer Poet in the startup's first commercial project, CEO Andrew Ponec tells Axios Pro.

The big picture: Antora is positioning itself as a cheap, ready-to-deploy alternative to years-long waits for natural gas turbines, grid interconnection approvals, and next-gen power sources like nuclear and geothermal.

Exclusive: Antora fires up 5 GWh thermal battery system in first commercial deployment

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