Sunlight Batteries USA Inc., which already has a large manufacturing operation in Greensboro, will set up a similar facility in Mebane, Governor Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday.
The Mebane plant, to be located along Senator Ralph Scott Parkway in the Hawfields-area industrial park, will make its home in a spec building built several years ago by the Samet Corporation.
The 134,000 square foot building will be home to 130 new jobs, and the company will invest $40 million in the project, according to the governor.
The company makes lithium-ion and other high-performance batteries.
Sunlight Batteries USA is a subsidiary of the Sunlight Group, a large technology company headquartered in Athens, Greece.
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The company already has nine manufacturing facilities in Europe and the U.S.
The Mebane facility, unlike many other recent announcements of distribution centers in the city and area, will be a manufacturing plant. As such, the wages are expected to be considerably higher than the county average of $46,999. According to the governor’s office, the average salary at the new Mebane plant is expected to be $67,589.
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While Governor Cooper announced state incentives worth about $1.2 million over 12 years, there are no local incentives anticipated, according to local officials.
According to the governor’s office, the formula used by the state anticipated growing the state’s economy by $390.7 million over the next 12 years. The committee overseeing the state’s Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) authorized the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,224,900 over 12 years in a meeting earlier on Wednesday.
“Demand is growing for clean energy components like batteries,” said Governor Cooper in making the announcement, “and North Carolina is at the forefront of this industry of the future. Companies like Sunlight Batteries are bringing new jobs and new investment to Alamance County, thanks to North Carolina’s commitment to clean energy and innovation.”
Todd Sechrist, the CEO of the American division, said, “Sunlight’s expansion in Mebane is yet another milestone in our growth plan for the U.S. market.”
