DuPont Plans $20 Million Battery Facility in Chesterfield

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Tuesday August, 3 2010

SOURCE: Richmond Times Dispatch

DuPont is investing $20 million in a new Chesterfield County facility to refine and manufacture nanofiber-based polymeric separators for high-performance lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles.

Gov. Bob McDonnell yesterday announced the investment -- and the 11 jobs it is expected to create, which could grow depending on the success of the product.

"One of the big barriers to growing electric vehicles is extending the life of the battery and the power that's available so that you can put higher energy density or more batteries into the same package," said Thomas G. Powell, president of DuPont Protection Technologies.

The company thinks its technology will allow for an increase of up to 30 percent in the power of lithium ion batteries. It has been in development for several years, and the company now needs a separate facility to refine the process, Powell said.

"It's a small investment to start, but this really is the start," he said. "This is proving the technology. We believe that if this technology proves out like we think it will, the sky's the limit on where this can go."

The facility, which the company will lease, will not be far from DuPont's current location on Jefferson Davis Highway that employs about 2,500 people and is one of the largest manufacturing centers for DuPont globally. The company hopes to begin operations in the new location and start producing commercial material for customers by early next year.

Virginia competed with other locations for the investment. The company is eligible for an $800-per-job grant through the state's enterprise zone program, and Powell said they are working with U.S. Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, for help securing federal tax credits.

DuPont has had a presence in Chesterfield since 1929, and it's now one of the oldest manufacturers and the second-largest taxpayer in the county, according to Chesterfield Board of Supervisors Chairman Daniel A. Gecker, who drove back from vacation to attend yesterday's event. He was joined by County Administrator James J.L. Stegmaier.

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