Battery technology company Natron Energy revealed its plans to develop a sodium-ion battery gigafactory in North Carolina, US with a total investment of $1.4bn.
To be located at the 437-acre Kingsboro megasite in Edgecombe County, the proposed 1.2 million ft2 battery manufacturing plant at its full capacity is expected to produce 24GW of Natron Energy’s sodium-ion batteries per year.
The American sodium-ion battery gigafactory will be partially funded by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee.
Throughout the 12-year term of this grant, the proposed project is estimated to increase North Carolina’s economy by $3.4bn.
The sodium-ion battery plant is also expected to facilitate a 40-fold increase in Natron Energy’s production capacity, expediting the commercialisation of its technology.
Additionally, the project is anticipated to generate more than 1,000 high-quality local clean energy jobs once fully operational.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said: “North Carolina’s momentum in the clean energy economy reaches epic proportions with today’s news.
“Natron Energy’s choice to build this large and unique battery factory in our state will help the nation reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating good jobs in Rocky Mount, Nash and Edgecombe counties, and many other places in eastern North Carolina.”
According to Natron Energy, its sodium-ion batteries deliver higher power density, longer cycles, a domestic US supply chain, and distinct safety characteristics over other battery technologies.
These batteries are said to be the only UL-listed sodium-ion batteries currently available on the market. In addition, sodium-ion batteries do not require lithium, cobalt, copper, or nickel, and are non-flammable.
They will be delivered to various customer end markets in the industrial power space, including data centers, mobility, electric vehicle (EV) fast charging, microgrids, telecom and others.
Natron Energy founder and co-CEO Colin Wessells said: “This flagship manufacturing facility will dramatically accelerate our efforts to deliver sodium-ion batteries to customers who are hungry for safe, reliable, and environmentally responsible energy storage solutions.
“After evaluating over 70 sites across nine 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.”
Earlier this year, Natron Energy began commercial-scale production at its sodium-ion battery plant in Holland, Michigan. The Holland facility, which is expected to reach an annual output of 600MW at full capacity, is designed to serve as a model for the company’s future giga-scale factories.
