EnerBlu, a provider of high-power energy storage units, has announced it will relocate to Kentucky next year, investing $412 million to bring its headquarters to Lexington and establish a new production facility in Pikeville, Kentucky.
The company, which is currently based in Riverside, California, will invest $40 million to relocate to a 150,000-square-foot facility in Lexington early next year, a move that is expected to create 110 administrative, research-and-development and executive positions.
In addition, EnerBlu plans to construct a 1 million-square-foot, high-tech facility in Pikeville, with an investment of $372 million, to manufacture lithium-titanate (LTO) batteries, called EnerBlu Advanced Energy Storage Units. The batteries will power transit buses, commercial trucks, military vehicles and other equipment.
Construction on the Pikeville plant, which is projected to create 875 full-time jobs, is scheduled to start in mid-2018, and the facility’s opening is planned for 2020.
“We are excited that EnerBlu has chosen Kentucky as home for its headquarters, research and development facility, and for the first Lithium Titanate battery facility in the United States,” Gov. Matt Bevin said. “EnerBlu will help power our nation’s transportation and defense industries, while providing job opportunities that will harness the highly skilled workforce of Eastern Kentucky. We are grateful to EnerBlu for locating this incredible project in our state, and congratulate the communities of Pikeville and Lexington for the opportunities this new corporate partnership will create. This project will have a positive impact on Eastern Kentucky and the commonwealth as a whole for many years to come.”
The LTO is a rechargeable battery with the advantage of a faster charge than other lithium-ion batteries. Currently, more than 70 percent of the world’s LTO production is located in China. The Pikeville facility will be the first LTO factory in the United States.
In selecting Kentucky, EnterBlu leaders noted the state’s logistical advantage of being within a day’s drive of 65 percent of the U.S. population, the availability of a trained workforce in eastern Kentucky and low costs for industrial power contributed to their decision.
“Creating a team that is building something meaningful that can benefit both the local and global community is not only exciting, but very meaningful to us,” said Michael Weber, executive chairman at EnerBlu. “You cannot imagine how thrilling it is to play a part in helping revitalize a region and put coal miners back to work through retraining and good jobs. It is tremendously gratifying to be more than just a company that sells products, but to also make an impact on people’s lives.”
EnerBlu, established in 2015 through a collaboration between BRAC Global Automotive and Symblu, is an energy-storage provider focused on electric transportation, PV hybrid microgrid, power grid and genset hybridization. The company plans to supply batteries and other energy storage devices for industrial, automotive, defense and commercial applications both in the United States and internationally.
EnterBlu executives anticipate growth of its zero-emission commercial truck, shuttle bus and school bus business. Electric school buses also will be equipped with vehicle-to-grid technology for emergency energy storage.
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray described the arrival of EnerBlu as a “win-win” for all of Kentucky.
“We look forward to the good jobs EnerBlu will create in Kentucky,” Mayor Gray said. “Lexington has a long history of partnering with its neighbors to the east. Partnerships between cities like Lexington and Pikeville are a win-win for all of us.”
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $27.5 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program for the Pikeville project and up to $2.5 million for the Lexington location. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, EnerBlu can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal year 2017, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for more than 120,000 Kentuckians and 5,700 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
For more information on EnerBlu, visit www.EnerBlu.net.