Natron Energy, manufacturer of sodium-ion battery energy storage systems, announced it will open a $1.4 billion factory in North Carolina.
The manufacturing facility is a planned 24 GW annual production capacity site in Edgecombe County. Once operational, the factory will increase Natron Energy’s production capacity by a factor of 40.
Natron’s batteries are the only UL-listed sodium-ion batteries on the market today, said the company. The batteries are expected to serve a wide range of use cases, including industrial power space, including data centers, mobility, EV fast charging, microgrids, and telecom, among others.
Natron Energy said its battery chemistry presents zero strain during charging and discharge, 10x faster cycling than traditional lithium-ion batteries, and 50,000+ cycle life, and are made without any lithium, cobalt, nickel, or other difficult-to-obtain minerals.
The company said its patented “Prussian blue electrodes” store and transfer sodium-ions faster and with lower internal resistance than any other commercial battery on the market today.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The project is expected to create 1,000 full-time jobs in the area. The facility is nearly 1.2 million square feet, located on a 437 acre plot in Kingsboro. The factory is expected to be supported by over $50 million in grants from North Carolina.
“After evaluating over 70 sites across 9 states, we found that North Carolina, with its leadership in the clean energy revolution, would make the perfect home for this project. We are proud to partner with the state on this ambitious project to deliver high-quality jobs to the community while advancing the electrification of our economy,” said Colin Wessells, founder and co-chief executive officer, Natron Energy.
The factory is facilitated in part by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the course of the 12-year term of the grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $3.4 billion.
Natron and the state also anticipate additional support being provided for the project through the first use of the North Carolina Megasite Readiness Program, a new state grant program open to local governments and designed to provide funds to help prepare or upgrade qualifying industrial sites to the competitive level required in today’s economic development marketplace. The state expects Edgecombe County will apply for a $30 million grant from the fund.
“We’re proud to be leading the charge in the advancement of a domestic battery supply chain, and we’re grateful for the partnership of local and state officials here in North Carolina,” said Wendell Brooks, co-chief executive officer, Natron Energy.
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