RALEIGH – More jobs focusing on battery production are coming to North Carolina, this time in Alamance County.
Sunlight Group will receive some $1.6 million in state and local tax incentives to expand its plant in Mebane in order to manufacture lithium ion batteries.
The company plans to add 133 jobs over five years, according to an agreement reached with the state of North Carolina as agreed to by the state’s Economic Investment Committee at a meeting Wednesday. It is investing $40 million in the Mebane operation.
Average wages for the new jobs will be $67,589, according to terms of the agreement. The average annual salary in Alamance County is $46,999.
“Demand is growing for clean energy components like batteries, and North Carolina is at the forefront of this industry of the future,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper in a statement on Wednesday. “Companies like Sunlight Batteries are bringing new jobs and new investment to Alamance County, thanks to North Carolina’s commitment to clean energy and innovation.”
The company will be expected to retain more than 50 current employees in the state.
“Sunlight’s expansion in Mebane is yet another milestone in our growth plan for the U.S. market,” said Todd Sechrist, CEO of Sunlight Batteries USA in a statement. “The 134,000-square-feet facility will create over 130 new jobs in Alamance County and will serve the region by bringing lithium-ion batteries and battery charging solutions to the Americas market.”
Toyota doubles investment for NC battery plant to $2.5B adding hundreds of jobs
Another win for North Carolina
In December 2021, Toyota picked North Carolina’s Triad region for a major battery manufacturing facility and recently decided to expand the site and double its initial investment. And a part of the $4 billion investment from VinFast includes a battery production plant.
And Durham-based FlexGen Power Systems raised $100 million earlier this year, following a $150 million fundraise in August 2021, with plans to open an innovation lab in Durham that will develop and showcase new products and technologies in the battery storage sector.
Sunlight develops and manufacturers lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries for industrial application and energy storage systems. The company is a subsidiary of the Sunlight Group, which is headquartered in Athens, Greece.
The plant is projected to have an economic impact of $391 million on North Carolina’s gross domestic product (GDP) and to improve state revenues by nearly $10 million, during the 12-year grant period, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.
What the $4B VinFast plant means for the Triangle – and the state
