August 16, 2024: Natron Energy, a sodium-ion battery developer, has announced plans to build the first sodium-ion battery gigafactory in the United States. The facility will be located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, and the aim is to produce 24GW of Natron’s sodium-ion batteries annually at full capacity.

The nearly 1.2 million sq ft facility, will represent a total investment of nearly $1.4 billion from Natron Energy.

The facility will enable a 40x scale-up of Natron’s current production capacity, accelerating the company’s technology commercialization while supporting over 1,000 local jobs at full operating capacity.

“This project will be facilitated in part by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $3.4 billion,” says Natron.

“This facility advances Natron Energy’s position as the leader of the next battery revolution,” said Wendell Brooks, co-CEO, Natron Energy.

“Our patented Prussian blue electrodes store and transfer sodium-ions faster, and with lower internal resistance than any other commercial battery on the market today,” says the firm. “Our battery chemistry presents zero strain during charging and discharge, 10x faster cycling than traditional lithium-ion batteries, and 50,000+ cycle life.”

Natron’s products are UL 1973 listed, they are not susceptible to thermal runaway, and do not use conflict minerals.