Early 2025 is off to a strong start with clean energy investments showing strong momentum. The Clean Economy Tracker, which is updated monthly, reported 27 new clean economy facility announcements totaling $2 billion and 1,700 new jobs across 17 states in January alone.
The minerals sector dominated January’s investment landscape, accounting for $1.6 billion of the total announcements. Transmission and grid investments trailed at $215 million, wind energy at $91.2 million, batteries at $43.1 million, solar energy at $34.5 million, and hydrogen at $13.7 million.
The most significant single investment came from EnergySource Minerals, which committed $1 billion to a lithium extraction facility in California. This project, backed by a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office for a $1.36 billion direct loan, will produce up to 20,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year. That is enough of the substance to manufacture about 52 GWh of lithium-ion batteries annually.
In the six months between August 2024 and January 2025, Indiana announced the highest level of investment, $2.4 billion, while Virginia announced the most jobs, 1,990. Several other states are also experiencing substantial economic benefits from these clean energy developments.
Utah’s Manufacturing Expansion
Utah received a boost when Nucor Corporation announced a $200 million investment to build its third utility structures production facility in Brigham City, where it has been doing business for 40 years. Located on Nucor’s existing campus, the project is estimated to create 200 full-time jobs for the local economy.
Leon Topalian, Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Nucor Corporation, expressed in the press release, “Nucor has a strong presence in the West and locating this new facility in Utah positions us to meet growing demand for utility infrastructure in the region resulting from distributed energy projects, data centers, and population growth. As a global leader in sustainable steelmaking, we believe our nation’s energy infrastructure should be built with American-made low embodied carbon steel.”
South Carolina’s Solar Manufacturing Milestone
South Carolina strengthened its position in the clean energy manufacturing sector by launching ES Foundry’s cutting-edge solar cell production facility. The plant produces high-quality crystalline bifacial solar cells, providing domestically manufactured components for the growing solar industry. The company recently announced its first multi-gigawatt, multi-year contract. As Wood Mackenzie’s solar supply chain analyst Elissa Pierce explained, “Onshoring cell production is crucial for establishing a resilient solar supply chain.”
Meanwhile, LANXESS Corporation received a $1.1 million credit allocation from the U.S. Department of Energy to scale the production of phosphorus trichloride at its Charleston facility. Phosphorus trichloride is a vital component for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems.
Additionally, Westinghouse Electric Company received a $72.6 million credit allocation to manufacture advanced nuclear fuel assemblies at a new Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility site in Hopkins. The project will enhance America’s nuclear energy capabilities.
North Carolina’s Critical Materials Progress
North Carolina also continues to advance in critical materials production. Epsilon Advanced Materials secured $115 million in federal tax credits for a $650 million, 1.5-million-square-foot graphite manufacturing facility in Brunswick County. When it was announced in 2023, the plant was expected to create 500 jobs. The project remains scheduled for completion in 2027 and will help strengthen domestic supply chains for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.
Further showcasing North Carolina’s growth in the clean energy sector, GE Vernova announced plans to invest more than $50 million in GE Hitachi’s manufacturing site in Wilmington. The company will use the funding to expand automation there and advance its work on nuclear fuel for its small modular reactor, creating 1,500 new jobs. It is all part of the company’s broader $600 million investment plan spanning its domestic facilities over the next two years. It marks the company’s most significant investment since GE spun it off as a separate power business last year.
Iowa’s Wind Industry Revival
In Iowa, TPI Composites is making a comeback in wind turbine blade manufacturing. The company announced a $3.2 million investment to renovate and update equipment at its facility in Newton, restarting manufacturing at a site that closed in 2021. The project, which the Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded a $500,000 forgivable loan through Iowa’s High-Quality Jobs program, is expected to create 320 new jobs.
With these investments, the country will continue demonstrating how the clean energy transition delivers economic benefits while strengthening America’s energy security and manufacturing capabilities.
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