EnerSys plans to build a USD500 million lithium-ion cell gigafactory in South Carolina.

The New York Stock Exchange-listed company says it has applied for USD200 million in incentives from the South Carolina and Greenville County to help fund the facility, which will employ 500 people.

EnerSys is evaluating the development of a 500,000 square foot state-of the-art manufacturing facility on approximately 140 acres in the Augusta Grove business park in Greenville.

The operation, which would be the company’s second in South Carolina, would manufacture various form factors of lithium-ion cells for commercial, industrial and defence applications, with a production capacity of four gigawatt hours (GWh) per year.

“EnerSys is accelerating the global clean energy transition by significantly expanding our production of lithium-ion batteries across a broad range of end markets and applications,” says EnerSys president and chief executive officer David M. Shaffer. 

“With the support of South Carolina and Greenville County this factory will help us meet our customers’ needs, including those with specific manufacturing requirements for domestic sourced batteries.”

The company is targeting construction to begin in early 2025 and operations to be online in late 2027.

The new factory is subject to final board approval, as well as regulatory and incentive approvals.