Arizona seems to have become the place for battery manufacturing in the United States. Three major facilities are planned to be operational by 2026 – American Battery Factory (ABF), KORE Power, and LG Energy Solution.
American Battery Factory held groundbreaking ceremonies in October of last year, and announced this March that their gigafactory near Tucson, AZ is expected to be completed in 2025. Their lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells are designed for deployment by battery pack integrators and
energy storage solution providers across a range of markets, including
utilities, data centers, commercial/agricultural equipment, power tools, telecommunications, specialized markets, and national defense requirements. The facility will have equipment to cover every key step of making battery cells, from mixing and coating to stacking and packaging. Machinery will include the slurry system, cathode and anode laser chamber, and turnkey line equipment. ABF will partner with Lead Intelligent Equipment (LEAD) who will initially provide onsite support including system installation, commissioning, and training.
KORE Power, a Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based company began construction of a facility near Queen Creek, AZ in 2022. The KOREPlex facility will produce nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries for use with EVs and energy storages systems (ESS). Commercial operation is scheduled to begin in late 2024 or early 2025.
Seoul, Korea based LG Energy Solution is on track to complete construction and begin production at its $5.5 billion battery complex in about two years. Located near Queen Creek, AZ, the complex will consist of two manufacturing facilities: LG Energy Solution Arizona and LG Energy Solution Arizona ESS. LG Energy Solution Arizona will manufacture cylindrical batteries (46-Series) for EVs (electric vehicles). LG Energy Solution Arizona ESS will manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pouch-type batteries for use in energy storage systems (ESS). The first round of hiring is expected to begin at the end of this year.
