A new $650 million graphite anode manufacturing facility is slated for building in Brunswick County, North Carolina, according to the company behind it, Epsilon Advanced Materials.
The 1.5 million-square-foot facility is scheduled to break ground in 2024, begin manufacturing in 2026, and reach full capacity by 2031. The manufacturing site, when operational, will produce high-capacity anode materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries using green technologies.
Epsilon Advanced Materials, an India-based battery materials company, said the facility is the first and largest Indian investment in the U.S. EV battery industry.
“We’re proud to have North Carolina at the focal point of our U.S. manufacturing strategy,” EAM Managing Director Vikram Handa said in a statement. “With its favorable geographical location, business supportive policies, and availability of a skilled talent pool, we are confident that the investment in the state is a major step towards creating sustainable energy transportation alternatives.”
The plans come as more EV infrastructure is currently planned for the United States, which will help expand the market as more EV models become available over the next several years.
In October, ABM announced its rollout of an electric vehicle charging system and network, with 30,000 chargers installed to date. Infrastructure is key to a successful EV market, as customers are wary of purchasing EVs without ample charging stations to get where they want to go, but batteries and materials for EV batteries are another major concern as the market space grows.
EAM’s EV battery facility in North Carolina offers several advantages for the company, including location. In Brunswick County, the facility has proximity to Wilmington port, automotive suppliers, Southeastern vehicle manufacturing facilities, as well as a local community college.
The facility is expected to create approximately 500 new jobs for the Greater Wilmington area. North Carolina was also recently cited as one of the top states where clean energy is being built, according to a map from the Department of Energy.
“North Carolina continues to lead the way in the transition to a clean energy economy by attracting good-paying jobs from great companies like Epsilon that make our state stronger and healthier,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement. “This historic investment will bring 500 clean energy jobs to Brunswick County, helping both our economy and our environment.”
The launch of the facility also comes after the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law last year, added numerous incentives and incentives for the EV industry. In fact, the law is considered the most significant legislation to accelerate transportation electrification in U.S. history, according to the Electrification Coalition, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that develops and implements strategies to facilitate EV adoption.
According to EAM, localizing the battery manufacturing ecosystem will contribute to a more resilient and secure supply chain essential for the sustainability and competitiveness of the EV industry. EAM, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Epsilon Carbon, is in discussions with local raw material suppliers and transportation partners for its North Carolina facility.
