LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A state-of-the-art battery plant is planned for Shelbyville, marking Shelby County's largest economic development project.
State and local dignitaries, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, unveiled the project at a news conference Friday morning.
Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing, which is a subsidiary of e-Storage, said the $712 million project will create 1,572 high-tech jobs. It's the third-largest project for job creation during Gov. Andy Beshear's administration.
"We're excited in Shelby County," Shelby County Judge Executive Dan Ison said Friday. "It's going to help our restaurants. It's going to help our economy. It's going to help our people.
"Our kids will want to stay in Shelby County for good paying jobs."
The project will include production of a 6-gigawatt hour battery cell, module and packaging manufacturing facility in a 1-million-square-foot building located on Logistics Drive in Shelbyville. Production at the Shelbyville plant is expected to begin by the end of 2025.
"This project will solidify our role as a leader in the country’s energy storage sector and will transform our economy, creating opportunities for Kentucky families for generations," Beshear said in a statement.
With the two BlueOval SK battery plants led by Ford Motor Company coming online in Hardin County, the Shelbyville investment puts Kentucky in the spotlight for the growing U.S. battery-related production.
"We are proud to be a part of the growing energy technology transformation across the U.S., and we are thrilled to announce our investment in a new, state-of-the-art industrial battery cell, module and packaging plant in Shelbyville, Kentucky that will employ over 1,500 Kentuckians," said Colin Parkin, president of e-Storage.
According to Beshear's office, e-Storage, based in Ontario, Canada, is a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and integration of battery energy storage systems for utility-scale applications.
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