The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Biden administration has announced the first group of projects to receive $2.8 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding for increased domestic production of batteries.
The 20 companies selected will use the funds to develop and expand manufacturing facilities in 12 states to "extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials, manufacture components, and demonstrate new approaches, including manufacturing components from recycled materials," the Oct. 20 announcement states. The announcement includes comments and reactions from the grant recipients' spokespeople.
"Here’s what they are saying about the federal investments that will boost American production of clean energy technology, create good-paying jobs, and support President Biden’s goals for electric vehicles to make up half of all new vehicle sales by 2030 and to transition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050:" the DOT states.
“We are at a tipping point where investments in transformational technologies like our UniMelt microwave plasma will set us apart from China to help drive America’s energy independence,” Aaron Bent CEO for 6K said, according to the DOT. “As the popularity of electric vehicles escalates and clean energy technologies like wind, hydro and solar are deployed, the urgency for domestic battery material production to support cell manufacturing and battery storage will become vital. Battery material processing on US soil will support our critical infrastructure and de-risk supply chain availability while strengthening our national security and US competitiveness.”
“The bipartisan infrastructure bill I supported last year makes important investments in Kentucky’s transportation networks, broadband, and manufacturing capacity to help prepare our economy for the challenges of the 21st century,” U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said in the announcement. “Today’s grant adds an additional $480 million to the billions Kentucky is already slated to receive from the bill and will help the Commonwealth secure its place as a manufacturing powerhouse. The national security benefits from this project – which will allow us to source important battery components domestically instead of from rival countries like China – only add to the significance of this grant for our country.”
“Ascend Elements’ initial announcement made history as the largest development project in Christian County, but with recent announcements the investment has grown to nearly $1 billion and will create 400 full-time jobs, making it the single largest investment in Western Kentucky,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said in the announcement. “Kentucky has quickly become a national leader in the electric-vehicle space and a substantial supplier network that consists of innovative companies like Ascend Elements is the reason for that success. I want to thank the leaders at the company for this commitment to the commonwealth and I can’t wait to see Ascend Elements and the Hopkinsville community grow together.”
“The clean power industry applauds today’s announcement from the Biden administration on grants for domestic manufacturing and minerals processing companies in the battery sector,” JC Sandberg American Clean Power Association Interim CEO and Chief Advocacy Officer said in the announcement. “Creating a more diverse and stable battery supply chain for energy storage will help U.S. companies deploy the 100 gigawatts (GW) of new storage we need by 2030, continuing to grow America’s clean energy economy and the good-paying jobs that come with it. Energy storage is critical to a reliable, clean electric grid, and today’s announcement is a powerful signal that the U.S. intends to compete and be a global leader in this critical sector.”
