Panasonic Energy has selected a joint venture (JV) team between Turner Construction and Yates Construction to build a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility for electric vehicles (EV) in De Soto, Kansas.
The $4 billion program includes the construction of a central utility plant and support buildings, in addition the assembly facility, the Japanese provider of battery technology-based products and solutions says.
The plant is part of Panasonic’s Green IMPACT initiative to reduce CO2 emissions to virtually net zero by 2030 and avoid 300 million tons in emissions by 2050.
The facility is expected to commence production by the end of March 2025 and reach an annual production capacity of around 30 GWh.
With this investment, Panasonic aims to expand its EV battery production capacity in the U.S., reduce global carbon emissions, and create new jobs with competitive wages in the De Soto region and beyond.
“It is exciting to add this EV battery plant to our growing portfolio of work in this market,” said Karen Hogan, Vice President & General Manager of Turner Construction Company. “More importantly thousands of people from the greater Kansas City area will participate in building a project that has global impact and provide people in our community green economy jobs.”
Other companies announcing plans to build battery manufacturing plants in the U.S. recently include Honda and LG Energy solutions, Microvast, AESC, FREYR and Stellantis, among others. All have cited the Biden Administration's Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law last year, as providing the long-term incentives to locate low-carbon energy production back in the U.S.
