A company announced plans Thursday to build a $1.4 billion factory in North Carolina that would become the first U.S. gigawatt-scale production of sodium-ion batteries, bypassing many of the mining and flammability issues of lithium-ion technology.
Natron Energy opened the first U.S. sodium-ion battery factory in Michigan in April. The company’s new “gigafactory” near Rocky Mount, North Carolina, is expected to have 40 times more capacity and produce up to 24 gigawatts of batteries annually.
“This flagship manufacturing facility will dramatically accelerate our efforts to deliver sodium-ion batteries to customers seeking safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy storage solutions,” said Colin Wessells, co-CEO of Natron, on Thursday at the plant, which is located 58 miles east of Raleigh. The event announcing the project was also attended by North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and company and state officials.
Sodium-ion batteries offer numerous potential efficiency and environmental benefits compared to lithium-ion batteries, including higher efficiency and faster recharging. Sodium is widely available, meaning it carries fewer long-term supply chain risks and price volatility than lithium, which is extracted through water-intensive mining processes.
