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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

ENTEK Plans Terre Haute, Indiana, ‘Wet-Process’ Lithium-ion Battery Plant

03/23/2023
ENTEK, the only U.S.-owned and U.S.-based producer of ‘wet-process’ lithium-ion battery separator materials, plans to establish production operations in Terre Haute, Indiana. The $1.5 billion project is expected to create 642 jobs by the end of 2027.

The campus will be located on a 350-acre greenfield site in the Vigo County Industrial Park II and will initially include four buildings covering 1.4 million square feet. The investment will enable the company to scale its U.S. production, enabling it to supply approximately 1.4 to 1.6 million EVs annually by 2027.

“We chose Terre Haute for many reasons including the excellent workforce opportunity, the incredible support provided by Steve Witt and the Economic Development Corporation, a nearly shovel ready construction site with available utilities located in an industrial park, excellent vocational education, and the business-friendly incentives from both the state and local governments, said Larry Keith, ENTEK’s CEO.”

The project is being supported in part by a $200 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

In addition, pending approval from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation board of directors, the IEDC, will commit an investment in ENTEK of up to $8 million in the form of incentive-based tax credits and up to $300,000 in training grants, based on the company’s job creation plans.

“Indiana is squarely focused on building an economy of the future, and this significant investment from ENTEK will continues the state’s economic leadership,” noted Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers. “This new giga-scale facility is a testament to our competitive business climate, quality workforce and continued investments in quality of place. With this news, Indiana continues its momentum in EVs and industry supporting the global energy transition.”

The IEDC also committed an investment of up to $200,000 in innovation grants; up to $200,000 in Manufacturing Readiness Grants, which help companies invest in smart manufacturing and new technologies; and up to $5 million in conditional structured performance payments.

These investments are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired. Vigo County is considering additional incentives to support the project; Duke Energy also offered additional incentives to offset a portion of the energy costs.

“It has been an incredible honor to work with Larry Keith, Kim Medford and the ENTEK team on this extraordinary opportunity for our community,” added Steve Witt, President of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation. “At the local level, we will do our utmost to help make ENTEK’s fabulous new project a success.”

ENTEK sells extruders and engineering services, lead-acid separators and lithium-ion separators. The company’s current focus is on energy storage for vehicles, hand-held consumer electronics, membranes used in clothing, and extrusion systems used to manufacture the materials that go into a myriad of consumer products.

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