Officials break ground on Bainbridge battery materials plant
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From staff reports
BAINBRIDGE — Gov. Brian Kemp joined state and local leaders Tuesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of Anovion Technologies’ new manufacturing facility here, which will supply premium synthetic graphite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The project will create more than 400 jobs and represents $800 million in investment in Decatur County.
“Today’s event is the culmination of months of hard work by the local community and sustained talks and efforts at the state level, which is fast becoming the e-mobility capital of the nation,” Kemp said at the groundbreaking. “As the latest milestone on Georgia’s path to becoming the e-mobility capital of the nation, this project means literally all four corners of our state have seen major investment and job creation from this industry.
“We will not let our foot off the gas when it comes to putting in the hours it takes to build relationships with job creators like Anovion and bring jobs and investments to all Georgians, no matter their zip code.”
Among the attendees at the groundbreaking was U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who said the announcement represented “a great win for Georgia’s economy.”
“Manufacturing is coming back to America, and it is coming to Georgia,” Ossoff said, noting that materials that will be utilized at the plant are “sourced not in hostile and adversarial countries like China.” Ossoff also noted policies of the Biden administration are “driving billions of dollars of capital investment to Georgia manufacturers, helping to create thousands of jobs in every region of the state.”
Since Kemp took office in 2018, EV-related projects have committed more than $24 billion in investment and created more than 31,000 jobs in communities across Georgia.
Anovion’s new 1,500,000-square-foot facility with its proprietary furnace technologies, located at Downrange Industrial Park in Bainbridge, will be the first of its size and scale in North America. The facility will produce synthetic graphite for use in batteries that power EVs, electric storage systems, electronics, military applications, and other products. Operations are expected to begin in late 2025.
With major EV-related projects now announced, under construction, or operational in all four corners of Georgia (southwest, southeast, northeast, northwest), the state remains well-positioned to set itself apart as the e-mobility capital of the nation.
“Today represents many great victories for Georgia,” Kemp said. “It’s the result of many months of careful and sustained talks and efforts on the state level, through the Department of Economic Development, members of the General Assembly, and my own office. …
“Ultimately, today is about partnerships, not political campaigns. This project is a great example of collaboration between Decatur County, leaders throughout the entire south Georgia region, and our team on the state level. Today is about those who do the hard work, not those who take credit for others’ work. And most of all, new beginnings like this are about the hard-working Georgians who will work at this facility and their families.”
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