nick.nigro@atlaspolicy.com

Envision AESC, a world-leading Japanese electric vehicle battery technology company, along with Governor Henry McMaster, announced its $810 million investment to build a new, state-of-the-art gigafactory in Florence, South Carolina. The 30GWh plant will create 1,170 skilled jobs in the region in its first phase, producing high performance batteries to power the next generation BMW Group’s EVs. By 2030, BMW Group will produce at least six fully electric models in its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Redwood’s next Battery Materials Campus, in the heart of the “Battery Belt,” is just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. At Camp Hall in Berkeley County, Redwood will recycle, refine and manufacture anode and cathode components on more than 600 acres, creating more than 1,500 jobs and investing $3.5 billion in the local community. Eventually, this campus will produce 100 GWh of cathode and anode components per year –enough to power more than one million EVs. However, this site also provides us the opportunity to expand our operations to potentially several hundred GWh annually to meet future demand.

Repsol Renewables is developing a utility-scale solar project in Gorham Township, Fulton County, Ohio and expects to install up to 199 megawatts (MW) of solar energy in the area, which has the potential to power more than 45,000 homes in Ohio annually. The solar project will be connected to the East Fayette Substation via a 2.2-mile-long, 138 kilovolt transmission line that will be sited wholly within the project boundary.

The Cadence Solar Energy Center is a proposed solar power generation facility of up to 240 megawatts (MW) in Union County, Ohio, targeted to begin operating in 2026. Solar technology uses the power of the sun to deliver clean, renewable energy and is now one of the lowest-cost energy sources available.

A Canadian company continues work on plans to build a billion dollar graphite processing plant in Weathersfield Township.

Apex Clean Energy is developing Emerson Creek Wind, a wind energy project in rural Huron and Erie Counties in Ohio. Apex has spent many years working with interested landowners and community members to design a project that complements the region's agricultural roots and fosters new economic development.

Illuminate USA, a leading US solar panel manufacturer, announced the official start of commercial operations at what will soon be one of the nation’s largest advanced solar panel manufacturing facilities.

SEMCORP Advanced Materials Group announced Thursday it will establish a manufacturing facility in Sidney, Ohio, creating nearly 1,200 jobs with $73 million in annual payroll and $916 million in capital investment.

The Ford Motor Co. announced on Thursday plans to build an all-electric vehicle at the Ohio Assembly Plant in Lorain County. The move would create 1,800 new union jobs, doubling the workforce at the plant, and comes with a $1.5 billion investment. Bill Samples, president of UAW Local 2000, said the investment is huge for the workers and surrounding community. The plant currently employs about 1,700 people, including just over 100 salaried workers. Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford Blue, said Ohio offered $200 million in incentives for Ford to make the investment, though Gov. Mike DeWine declined to provide specifics.

Honda and LG Energy Solution have committed to invest $3.5 billion in the new joint venture (JV) facility, with their overall investment projected to reach $4.4 billion. The facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024, with plans to create 2,200 jobs, and the aim for approximately 40GWh of annual production capacity. The JV company will deliver lithium-ion batteries with cutting-edge technology to support Honda's plan to build battery-electric vehicles (EV) in North America.