A California-based sodium-ion battery maker announced plans Thursday to build a $1.4 billion factory in Edgecombe County.
Natron Energy designs and manufactures sodium-ion batteries for industries such as data centers and fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. The clean energy company is expected to hire 1,062 employees for its planned mega-facility in Kingsboro.
The new 1.2 million-square-foot facility, the company’s first gigafactory, will allow Natron Energy to increase its current production capacity by 40 times. The company’s Holland, Michigan, facility can produce 600 megawatts of sodium-ion batteries annually, and regulators expect the Kingsboro facility to produce 24 gigawatts annually at full capacity.
Natron’s sodium-ion batteries use the company’s patented Prussian blue electrodes to deliver high-output, long-lasting energy, company officials said. They outperform lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries and also do not require rare earths or minerals such as cobalt or lithium, making them more environmentally friendly.
“North Carolina, with its leadership in clean energy production and commitment to fostering innovation, is an ideal location for Natron and this groundbreaking facility,” said Colin Wessells, founder and co-CEO of Natron Energy, in a press release. “This facility will dramatically increase the company’s production capacity and create a sustainable growth trajectory as we look to fundamentally change the way industrial energy is used.”
A North Carolina grant program that helps new and expanding companies offset the costs of locating a factory in the state will help Natron build the factory. The agreement between Natron and the grant program provides for a potential repayment of up to $21.7 million to the energy company over 12 years, during which time the battery factory is expected to add $3.4 billion to the state’s economy.
The state also plans to award Edgecombe County a grant of up to $30 million from the North Carolina Megasite Readiness Program. The grant program helps local governments provide funds to prepare or upgrade suitable industrial sites to the level of competition required for today’s economic development market, according to a news release from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office.
“Natron Energy’s decision to build this large and unique battery factory in our state will help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating good jobs in Rocky Mount, Nash and Edgecombe counties and many other places in eastern North Carolina,” Cooper said in a press release.
Meanwhile, Toyota is also building a mega electric battery plant in Randolph County.
