Company announces nearly $712 million project in Kentucky to make batteries used to store energy
A battery manufacturer has selected Kentucky for a nearly $712 million project to produce industrial-sized batteries used to store and distribute energy
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A battery manufacturer has selected Kentucky for a nearly $712 million project to produce industrial-sized batteries used to store and distribute energy, a process seen as increasingly important to help secure a reliable electric grid for the country, officials said Friday.
The Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing plant will employ 1,572 workers once the project reaches full capacity, deepening Kentucky's ties to emerging battery technologies. Companies wanting to make batteries to power vehicles have announced projects expected to total nearly $12 billion in new investments and create more than 10,280 fulltime jobs in Kentucky.
“With this investment, we’re putting our stamp on working to become just the battery capital of the United States,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in announcing the new project to be located in Shelbyville.
Production at the Shelbyville battery plant is expected to begin in late 2025.
The plant, a part of Canadian Solar Inc., will produce batteries used by utilities and other customers to store energy at large scale. The batteries are about 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and nearly 9 feet tall, the company said. They can be paired with solar, wind or other forms of electricity generation and are seen as playing a crucial role for both a green energy future and a secure power grid as demand for electricity continues to grow in the U.S.
The batteries can keep a steady flow of power when sources like wind and solar are not producing. For example, when people are sleeping and thus using less electricity, the energy produced from wind blowing
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