Battery Separator Company Microporous Announces $1.35B Virginia Factory

A producer of battery separators for next-generation energy systems will spend more than $1 billion to establish a new manufacturing complex in southern Virginia, state officials announced.

Creating More than 2,000 Jobs

Tennessee-based Microporous LLC said the $1.35 billion project would build two 500,000-square-foot facilities in two phases at an industrial park outside Danville, Virginia.

The project is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs, and a nearby lot could allow for further expansion.

A Step Toward ‘the Future of Energy Storage Technology’

Microporous says it primarily produces lead battery separators and other engineered materials, but officials plan to expand into technology for lithium-ion batteries — and capitalize on the burgeoning market for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and additional applications across the industrial and consumer electronics segments.

Microporous CEO John Reeves called the announcement “a major step toward the future of energy storage technology.”

Federal, State Funding Help

The company is slated to receive more than $60 million in state funding, pending approval by lawmakers, along with potential grant funding from the Port of Virginia. Virginia’s U.S. senators also noted that the project was aided by $100 million from a 2021 federal infrastructure funding measure.

Virginia officials said the company selected the site over a bid from neighboring North Carolina; the southern Virginia megasite is located just north of the state line.

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