The White House announced on Wednesday that Louisiana had received $320 million from the 2021 Infrastructure Act to increase the production of lithium-ion batteries at the Syrah Technologies facility in Vidalia and the Koura facility in St. Gabriel. This will increase the state’s presence in the supply chain for electric vehicles as well as other consumer electronics.
For a combined investment of nearly $1 billion and the creation of 300 new employees, the two businesses will contribute an additional $225 million in Vidalia and $307 million in St. Gabriel.
Republican U.S. Senator from Louisiana Bill Cassidy told USA Today Network, “It’s a big, major thing.” We must build an economy that will prepare Louisiana for the following three decades.
“These kinds of investments position us for the growing energy economies of the future, even as we remain a leader in the oil and gas energy industry.”
Growing the sector, according to Cassidy, one of the bipartisan Infrastructure Act’s authors, “would lessen China’s dependence on the United States.”
Koura will receive $100 million to construct the first lithium hexafluorophosphate manufacturing plant in the United States on the grounds of its current fluorochemical production site in St. Gabriel, while Syrah will receive about $220 million to expand its commercial-scale natural graphite active anode material facility.
While Koura is anticipated to add 80 new employees, Syrah is anticipated to add 221 new jobs.
Congressman Carter, a Democrat from Louisiana and a member of the Transportation Committee, stated, “We know there is a road to a cleaner, greener, safer future for our country, we just have to be brave enough and strategic enough to bring it into reality.” The investments announced today will support future domestic manufacturing and the supply chain for batteries, which are essential to the clean energy economy and electric vehicles.
Late last year, Syrah and Tesla came to an arrangement for the supply of natural graphite that has been processed into active anode material for lithium-ion batteries.
In December 2021, Syrah CEO Shaun Verner stated that Louisiana “has all the right aspects for the development of innovative technology in the manufacturing sector, including a vision for sustainable growth that corresponds nicely with Syrah’s ideals.” “Vidalia is a fantastic community that benefits from outstanding supply chain logistics optionality for current and potential future expansions.”
Andre Rogers has been a content and opinion writer for many popular online publications over the years. Andre is now our chief editor at Louisiana Informer. Andre specializes in current trends and technology.
