Morrisville to see new NC lithium-ion battery facility promising to create over 200 jobs
A Colorado-based materials engineering firm has plans to bring more than 200 jobs to Morrisville as part of a new lithium-ion battery business. The company, called Forge Nano, seeks to be the latest to join North Carolina’s burgeoning lithium-based economy by establishing a division called Forge Battery in the Triangle.
“We are extremely excited to launch Forge Battery in the Battery Belt, where we intend to produce batteries for the world’s most demanding applications,” Forge Nano CEO Paul Lichty said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Forge committed to hiring 204 people in Wake County and investing $142 million in the area by the end of 2027. The facility will be located on Southport Drive at a new life science manufacturing site called CaMP Morrisville.
The facility will produce batteries “for defense, aerospace, and specialty electric vehicle markets,” Forge spokesperson Will McKenna told The News & Observer. He shared the company has already begun hiring “director-level” staff in the Triangle.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina Economic Investment Committee awarded Forge a job development grant worth up to $1.5 million over 12 years. Wake County and the Town of Morrisville combined to offer additional incentives valued at $1.7 million.
In addition to its jobs grant, the company said it stands to receive another $6.5 million from the state, including “sales tax exemptions on planned capital investment.”
Forge Nano is set to join a growing field of lithium-based businesses in the state.
Last month, North Carolina approved a lithium-ion battery plant from the India-based Epsilon Advanced Materials that promises to bring 500 jobs to a new facility near Wilmington. Soon after, Toyota announced a substantial increase in employment and investment targets at its lithium-ion battery site outside of Greensboro.
Two lithium mining companies — Albemarle Corp. and Piedmont Lithium — are also seeking to expand or revive operations in North Carolina.
Lithium-ion batteries are key components in many electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
“North Carolina’s growing leadership in clean energy can be seen everywhere you look, and Forge Battery’s decision continues our momentum,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement Tuesday. “New jobs, new investment, and new opportunities for our people are coming fast as we embrace this vital new sector of the global economy.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Morrisville to see new NC lithium-ion battery facility promising to create over 200 jobs."
