Birla Carbon’s $1 billion minerals processing facility in Orangeburg County

Birla Carbon, a leading manufacturer and supplier of carbon solutions, today announced it selects Orangeburg County to establish the company’s first South Carolina operation. The $1 billion investment will create 124 new jobs. With more than 160 years of experience, Birla Carbon is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality carbon additives globally. The company currently operates 17 manufacturing facilities in 14 countries, providing solutions for rubber, plastics, coatings, inks and other niche industries.

Birla Carbon will construct a 435,000-square-foot building at the Tri-County Industrial Site in Orangeburg to serve as a next-generation, synthetic graphite continuous production facility. The new operation will supply anode active materials which is enough to support more than 40-gigawatt hours (GWh) battery plants. The initial phase will produce 25,000 tons of synthetic graphite annually to meet the projected demand for the electric vehicle, energy storage and defense markets.

Operations are expected to be online in 2026. Birla Carbon will be providing education and internship opportunities to build a pipeline of employees, as well as childcare subsidies to help new parents work at the company’s facility. Employment opportunities will be available in 2025. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the projec