EnerSys, a Pennsylvania-based company that produces battery and energy storage systems and solutions, recently announced a $6.7 million expansion of its operations in Sumter County, South Carolina. The clean energy investment will create 14 new jobs and add 34,000 square feet to its facility.
The Coordinating Council for Economic Development also provided financing for the expansion, providing a $100,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to help with construction and development costs.The Sumter metal plant was established in 1972 and currently employs more than 130 people. It has traditionally produced metal ‘trays’ for the company’s motive power batteries. When this new expansion is completed in May, EnerSys plans to meet the growing demand for lithium, flooded, and Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) battery products, supporting the company’s long-term growth objectives while contributing to South Carolina’s expanding clean energy economy.
South Carolina Rep. Murrell Smith Jr. (R-SC-67), who also serves as Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives, reflected, “EnerSys’ expansion reinforces South Carolina’s strong standing as a hub for advanced manufacturing. We celebrate the company’s continued growth in Sumter County and the valuable opportunities this investment will bring to our workforce and community.”
Sumter County Council Chairman James McCain elaborated, “We are grateful that EnerSys is continuing its commitment by expanding their Sumter County operations. It is always our goal to cultivate an environment to foster rich business relationships that endure and deliver positive outcomes for both our companies and our residents.”
Photo Courtesy City of Sumter, South Carolina
It is not the company’s only South Carolina facility, either. In 2023, Enersys entered a Memorandum of Understanding with European battery company Verkor SAS to look into developing a lithium battery gigafactory in the U.S. Last year, EnerSys announced its second operation in the state, a 500,000-square-foot lithium-ion cell gigafactory in Greenville. South Carolina and Greenville County collectively offered EnerSys an incentive package of about $200 million, which led the company to invest $500 million.
South Carolina Rep. Bruce Bannister (R-SC-24), who also serves as Chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, reacted, “Greenville County is proud to welcome EnerSys to South Carolina’s Upstate. Although growing, this community maintains a reputation for serving and helping one another. We look forward to including EnerSys and its team members in our Greenville family as we evolve into a long-lasting and successful partnership.”
The facility will have four gigawatt hours (GWh) of capacity when it is up and running in 2027, and the lithium-ion cells will be used by commercial, industrial and defense industries. Altogether, it could create 500 jobs and will add to the company’s 32 manufacturing facilities around the world.
Photo Courtesy EnerSys
EnerSys’s investment is part of a larger trend. As of last year, companies in the state had invested almost $8 billion in South Carolina’s energy storage industry, including the likes of AESC, Albemarle Corp., BMW Manufacturing, Cirba Solutions, and Redwood Materials.
As Governor Henry McMaster noted about the Sumter County expansion, “Today’s announcement by EnerSys further strengthens South Carolina’s reputation as a leader in advanced manufacturing. With this new investment, EnerSys is not only reaffirming its commitment to our state but also creating new opportunities for our people, our communities, and our economy.”
Photo Courtesy EnerSys
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