MUSKEGON, Mich. — The state of Michigan is getting $355 million in grants to help build four electric vehicle (EV) battery plants in our state.
One of those plants is slated for Muskegon County. If the plant goes in, it would create more than 150 permanent jobs in the city. It would also bring 625 construction jobs to the area during the building of the plant.
"This is a huge win for Michigan, proving that we are really the heart of the battery belt," said Zachary Kolodin, director of the Michigan Infrastructure Office.
MitraChem, a battery manufacturer, is getting $100 million from the Department of Energy and $25 million from Michigan's Competitiveness Fund.
They will partner with Sun Chemical, which has 100 years of experience in advanced particle engineering.
The plant will develop Lithium Iron Phosphate for manufacturing energy storage systems and EV batteries.
Kolodin explained that Lithium Iron Phosphate is a material needed in order to make batteries at a low cost and to make batteries perform in lower temperatures. Performing in low temperatures is a task he described as "critical," especially in an environment like Michigan's.
State leaders said the plant is not only important for lowering costs but also important for national security, as electric vehicles become more prominent and a more competitive player in the global market.
"As of right now, there are no facilities in North America that produce lithium iron phosphate," said Kolodin. "China essentially has 100% of the market, and that's untenable from a national and economic security perspective."
He also said that the plant will help bring down the cost of the batteries, which in turn will help reduce the cost of electric vehicles.
