Cloudy. Low 66F. Winds light and variable..
Cloudy. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.
News that Sparkz, an energy startup company that produces cobalt-free batteries, plans to locate in the former AFG-Fourco glass plant near the Harrison-Taylor County line is a major boost to the region.
The company’s release says it will build a 482,000-square-foot plant that should employ upwards of 350 workers.
The company plans to focus efforts on larger batteries in the future, which will be used to power material-handling vehicles such as forklifts and agricultural equipment and for energy storage, according to The Associated Press.
“Sparkz is excited to bring its patriotic power company to West Virginia and begin hiring coalfield families starting today. This is the perfect location to begin re-engineering the battery supply chain to end China’s dominance in energy storage,” Sparkz founder and CEO Sanjiv Malhotra said in the statement.
Sparkz had announced previously an agreement with the United Mine Workers of America to provide training for displaced miners in an effort to help that industry and its workers transition to clean energy.
The choice of the abandoned glass plant, which once was a huge economic force in the region, is welcomed as it puts to use a site that undoubtedly would have been difficult to redevelop in another fashion because of its past industrial use.
While we have seen some heavy industrial sites properly redeveloped, it usually has taken millions of dollars of remediation because of the chemicals left behind by past manufacturing.
But reusing the facility for further manufacturing is a best-case scenario that gives new life to the plant and region.
Combined with Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting at the GreenPower Motor Co. in South Charleston, the decision by Sparkz to locate in West Virginia shows that the Mountain State can adapt and learn to flourish in a new economy, if given the chance.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who has led an effort on the federal level to make sure West Virginia remains a key energy-producing state during the transition to more environmentally friendly energy sources, hailed the Sparkz announcement.
“Engaging our strong and capable workforce here in West Virginia to manufacture batteries domestically is critical to our energy independence and stability. The Sparkz facility will create 350 good-paying, long-term jobs, and I look forward to seeing this initiative grow. We will continue to work closely together to bring more battery manufacturing here to the United States so we don’t have to rely on foreign supply chains for our energy needs,” Manchin said.
We applaud the leadership of Sparkz, along with state, local and federal leaders who have been involved in this effort, as well as others, to make sure West Virginia isn’t left behind in power generation.
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