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$1.4B battery giga-factory coming to North Carolina

$1.4B battery giga-factory coming to North Carolina
(Courtesy: Natron Energy)

Add another notch to North Carolina’s so-called “Battery Belt.”

Natron Energy, the only commercial manufacturer of sodium-ion batteries in the United States, has announced it will invest $1.4 billion to establish a sodium-ion battery giga-factory at the Kingsboro CSX Select Megasite in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.

Natron says the new giga-factory at the 437-acre, shovel-ready Kingsboro Megasite will enable the manufacturer to extend its customer base beyond the EV industry. It is one of six megasites (1,000 or more acres of contiguous land) across North Carolina. The facility will be nearly 1.2 million square feet and is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs. It represents “one of the biggest eastern North Carolina economic development deals in recent years,” according to local television station WRAL.

“North Carolina is becoming the heart of the booming Battery Belt,” Governor Roy Cooper said Thursday during an event at Edgecombe Community College. “And this emerging clean energy economy means more good paying jobs in our state and more money in the pockets of families across eastern North Carolina.”

The Kingsboro Megasite, soon to be home to Natron Energy’s new sodium-ion battery facility (courtesy: Natron Energy)

Who is Natron and why sodium-ion?

Natron was founded in California in 2012 and opened a production facility in Holland, Michigan earlier this year- the first sodium-ion battery production facility in North America. In late 2021, the Department of Energy announced nearly $20 million in funding for Natron as part of DOE’s second round of Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP).

Natron’s sodium-ion batteries were the first in the world to receive a UL 1973 listing, allowing them to be implemented in the data center, forklift, and electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging markets. They are used for backup power systems for data centers, powering electric vehicle fast charging stations, military and defense purposes, and more. Most electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids use lithium-ion batteries, which are typically more expensive to produce and more likely to present a fire hazard.

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According to the company, sodium-ion solutions outperform, are safer, and are more sustainable than lithium-ion options. The battery products made in North Carolina will include critical power and industrial batteries for high-powered applications like AI, data centers, peak shaving, and power quality management. 

Natron will receive close to $30 million from the North Carolina Megasite Readiness Program for onsite preparation of the Kingsboro Megasite.

“With the fund, the state can support the recruitment of large announcements like Natron, which will significantly positively impact Edgecombe County,” detailed Christopher Chung, CEO of the EDPNC. “We look forward to welcoming more projects to our current and future megasites.”

Natron would be the first recipient of that pot of money, subject to final approval from the EDPNC’s Board of Directors. The General Assembly has expanded the Megasite Readiness Program since its launch to include more opportunities for grant funding and has appropriated $97.8 million for use in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The battery belt is bursting

This is the latest investment in North Carolina’s clean energy economy, commonly referred to as “the Battery Belt,” which has seen substantial commitments from other companies investing in battery production facilities including Toyota ($5.9B), Wolfspeed ($5B), and Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. ($233M) in the last three years alone. Toyota’s investment aims to more than double the size of its EV battery plant in Randolph County and promises to employ more than 5,000 people.

In April, solar panel and cell manufacturer Boviet Solar announced $294 million plans to build its first North American plant in Greenville.

In February, Fujihatsu & Toyotsu Battery Components said it would invest $60 million to support Toyota’s battery manufacturing efforts with a new EV battery facility in Liberty.

North Carolina has announced at least 17,500 jobs focused on energy efficiency or producing products that reduce greenhouse gas emissions since 2017, attracting more than $22.1 billion in capital, according to commerce officials.

According to WRAL, this effort from state economic developers is helping NC rebound from years of decline following an exodus of furniture manufacturers and a decline in tobacco production.