Tesla Prefers South Carolina
In January, Tesla announced plans to open a regional distribution center in South Carolina’s Greenville County. Located at the 172-acre Fox Hill Business Park, the new, 251,100-sq.-ft. facility will work to distribute vehicle parts to markets in the Southeast. While the company has not spoken to any plans to manufacture in the state at this time, its location at Fox Hill could accommodate such growth with direct access to major Interstates, an inland port and an international airport. The total amount of investment or jobs created by this investment has not been stated by the company at this time.
Tesla’s first investment in the South Carolina will support distribution of its popular EV models’ parts across the U.S. Southeast.
Photo courtesy of Tesla
Virginia Stocks Paper
A $193 million expansion is underway in Suffolk, Virginia, for chemicals manufacturer Solenis. The Delaware-based company, which has operated in the city for over 40 years, plans to use the investment to construct an 80,000-sq.-ft. production and packaging facility. “This investment is part of our ongoing commitment to provide value for customers while helping them advance their sustainability initiatives,” said John Panichella, CEO of Solenis. “As demand rises for sustainable manufacturing operations, this new facility not only ensures we have capacity to supply the paper packaging market, it will also help us diversify into other applications that can drive additional growth.” Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin approved a $275,000 Opportunity Fund grant to the company, which will create 34 new jobs upon project completion.
The Solenis expansion will include a new tank farm and rail spur on-site to support production.
Photo: Getty Images
Tri-Venture Charges Forward
Embarking on a new joint venture, Cummins Inc., Daimler Truck and Paccar are directing $1.9 billion toward a new battery manufacturing plant in Byhalia, Mississippi. The project will take up 500 acres of the 3,600-acre Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park, where 2,000 new employees will work to produce batteries for original equipment manufacturers that produce medium- and heavy-duty commercial electric trucks. Construction is set to begin this year on the facility, which is slated to become fully operational by 2027.
The new JV in Mississippi comes weeks after Cummins announced the $580 million expansion of its Rocky Mount, North Carolina, plant.
Photo courtesy of Cummins Inc.
Wieland Claims More Land
A branch of Germany-based Wieland Group, Wieland Rolled Products North America, announced a $500 million expansion investment at its site in East Alton, Illinois. The company acquired the former Olin Brass facility in 2019 and now plans to install a new hot rolling mill in order to increase production capacity. Wieland produces copper and copper alloy components used for EVs, EV charging infrastructure and renewable energy production. “Copper is not only integral to the energy transition, it is the foundation of a sustainable future,” said Wieland CEO Erwin Mayr. “This investment positions Wieland as the undisputed leader in North American rolled products and underscores our commitment to the revitalization of American manufacturing.” The project is supported by a $231 million incentive package from the state.
The new investment allows Wieland to modernize its current facility in East Alton, Illinois.
Photo-rendering courtesy of Wieland
Energy Arrives Inland
In January, power produced by the first U.S. utility-scale offshore wind farm Vineyard Wind 1 officially integrated to the Massachusetts grid. The companies behind the project, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, announced that one of its 62 planned turbines delivered 5 megawatts (MW) of power. The project, which has been in the works since 2021, plans to connect the rest of its turbines by the end of this year for a total of 806 MW. Once fully operational, Vineyard Wind has the capacity to power 400,000 homes, aiding the Biden Administration’s goal of reaching 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
A power grid in Barnstable, Massachusetts, received the first offshore wind power produced by Vineyard Wind 1.
Photo courtesy of Avangrid
Welcome California’s Clean Energy Precinct
In marking the first of seven project stages, Controlled Thermal Resources Holdings Inc. officially broke ground on a new $1.85 billion integrated geothermal power plant and lithium production facility in January 2024. Located by Southern California’s Salton Sea, the company has plans to make this site a “Lithium Valley Campus” that will produce 25,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate annually, enough to facilitate production of over 400,000 EVs. This first stage will introduce space that will house specialized battery material manufacturers onsite to support future production, creating 480 new jobs.
Construction has commenced for Controlled Thermal Resources’ Lithium Valley Campus in southern California.
Photo courtesy of Controlled Thermal Resources
