“This is a great day for Terre Haute and for the state of Indiana,” said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “ENTEK’s decision to locate a new, $1.5 billion battery component manufacturing facility here will have a transformational impact on the West Central Indiana community and the Hoosier economy for generations to come.”
Founded in 1984, ENTEK is a US-based company that specializes in manufacturing ‘wet-process’ lithium-ion battery separator materials. Working alongside the US Department of Energy, whose objective of achieving a sustainable and robust domestic lithium battery supply chain in America. Apart from its energy storage division, which manufactures battery separators for both lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries, ENTEK also produces equipment for the plastics industry. Additionally, the company develops high-performance materials for a wide range of energy storage and functional membrane applications.
ENTEK’s announcement on Tuesday comes as a welcome boost to Indiana’s economy, with the new production facility expected to create over 600 hundred new jobs during the next few years. Contributing a $1.5 billion investment in the Terre Haute production facility will support Indiana’s growing electric vehicle (EV) industry.
The Terre Haute Facility
The company plans to construct four buildings covering an area of approximately 1.4 million square feet on a 340-acre greenfield site in the Vigo County Industrial Park II. These buildings will be equipped with advanced equipment, including specialty biaxial stretching equipment supplied by Brueckner Group USA. ENTEK’s new facility will manufacture battery separators, which are essential components used in the production of lithium-ion batteries, a rapidly growing industry. Additionally, the battery manufacturer will utilize equipment built at their existing manufacturing facilities in Oregon and Nevada to ensure the high-quality production of these battery separators.
The US Department of Energy will provide $200 million worth of funding as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
ENTEK plans to start its Indiana operations between 2025-2027 and will break ground on the campus as soon as engineering and permitting are in hand. By 2027, ENTEK aims to supply 1.4 to 1.6 million EVs annually, highlighting its commitment to meeting the growing demand for electric vehicles.
Phase 1 & 2 of the Project
- Phase 1: The planned expansion will produce about 1.4 billion square meters of ceramic-coated lithium separators across operations.
- Phase 2: Increase by an additional 1.8 billion square meters of battery separators produced annually.
In total, the project will provide enough separators for about 3.5 million electric vehicles.
Job Creation
During the Phase 1 expansion, ENTEK plans to create more than 640 new jobs in Terre Haute. These new positions will have wages well above the Vigo County average. Starting in 2024, ENTEK will begin hiring for key leadership positions to facilitate the recruitment of numerous associates across various departments. Jobs, including, but not limited to, production, maintenance, electricians, human resources, accounting, IT, safety, and environmental.
“It has been an incredible honor to work with Larry Keith, Kim Medford, and the ENTEK team on this extraordinary opportunity for our community,” said Steve Witt, President of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation. “At the local level, we will do our utmost to help make ENTEK’s fabulous new project a success.”
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) has approved an investment of up to $8 million in tax credits and training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. Additionally, the IEDC has committed up to $405,000 in grants to support the company’s innovation and manufacturing readiness. Vigo County and Duke Energy are considering additional incentives to support the project, including energy cost offsets.
