In 2023, materials science company Forge Nano, which uses its Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology to develop precision coatings for the likes of semiconductor wafers, announced that it was launching a subsidiary called Forge Battery that would be headquartered outside of Raleigh in Morrisville, North Carolina. The new lithium-ion battery manufacturing business will churn out cells at a Gigafactory that it expects to be up and running next year.
With the company expected to bring thousands of jobs and an annual payroll impact of over $16 million, North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee approved a Job Development Investment Grant for the facility. The grant could see Forge Battery receive over $1.5 million in reimbursement across 12 years. In the words of former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, “North Carolina’s growing leadership in clean energy can be seen everywhere you look, and Forge Battery’s decision continues our momentum. New jobs, new investment, and new opportunities for our people are coming fast as we embrace this vital new sector of the global economy.” Applications range across the aerospace and defense sectors.
Photo Courtesy Forge Battery
In September, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains selected the company for negotiations for an award of up to $100 million, in addition to the $140 million investment that the company itself was planning. The DOE and the company finalized the funding contract in January. Forge Battery will use the funding, sourced from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to expand its production capacity from one gigawatt hour per year in 2026 to an eventual three gigawatt hours per year. The expansion will enable the company to provide more than 550 temporary construction and equipment installation jobs and more than 280 full-time jobs.
Forge Nano has since created a community advisory board consisting of local partners such as the City of Morrisville, Wake Technical Community College, NC Central University, Dorcas Ministries, Boys & Girls Club, Step Up Ministries, The Carying Place, Triangle Community Foundation, City of Oaks Foundation and Raleigh Dream Center. Curtis Zimmermann, chief legal officer for Forge Nano, commented, “Forge Battery is committed to fostering a community of trust both within our facility and to the broader public. We are excited to continue our work with our outstanding Forge Battery community partners to help nurture our employees, create a sustainable talent pool of future employees and use our collective resources to become a staple in the community at large where our employees and their families reside.”
Photo Courtesy Forge Battery
The funding announcement was made in response to high demand for domestically-made battery cells, and the company has plans for a supply chain primarily using domestically produced materials. As of last summer, Forge Battery’s first commercial product, the Gen. 1.1 Supercell, sourced 100% of its cathode and anode materials from American suppliers. 90% of all cell contents will come from the U.S.
Forge Nano CEO Paul Lichty explained, “Domestic production of best-in-class lithium-ion battery cells is critical for the United States to compete on a global scale in the energy transition. The Department of Energy’s support of Forge Battery will help achieve our mission to be a leading domestic supplier of high-performance cells to U.S. markets will further position us to supply critical U.S. clean energy innovations.”
The company is well on its way to achieving its goals of advancing an American clean energy supply chain. At the end of last year, Forge Battery launched a supplemental manufacturing line at Forge Nano’s headquarters Thornton, Colorado to begin fulfilling customer orders for its 21700 cell, which will eventually be transferred to the Morrisville factory alongside 18650 cells. “Customers are anxious to get Forge Battery cells in their facilities. The commissioning of a supplemental manufacturing line allows us to keep our foot on the accelerator to shorten customer adoption timelines,” Lichty noted.
More recently, at the end of April, Forge Nano raised $40 million in a funding round co-led by RockCreek and Ascent Funds, with participation from the likes of Top Material and Orion Infrastructure Capital. The financing will be used to advance its work on both lithium-ion batteries and semiconductors. As Lichty previously said, “Forge Battery is ready to power tomorrow’s most critical battery-powered innovations.”
