Senator Sue Morano (D-Lorain) announced today that German chemical company BASF will build a chemical processing plant in Elyria. The world’s largest chemical company’s new facility will produce a patented cathode material to be used in advanced Lithium-ion batteries that will power a new line of hybrid cars.
“This facility will bring well-paying jobs to a community that has been battered by the recent economic downturn,” said Senator Morano. “It will improve battery technologies for hybrid and electric cars and will move Ohio closer to environmentally sustainable transportation and will help decrease dependence on foreign oil. This is a great day for Lorain County!”
The announcement came after BASF Corporation received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Advanced Battery and Electric Vehicle Manufacturing grant of $24.6 million to build the plant in Elyria. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and BASF signed a licensing agreement for BASF to mass produce and market Argonne’s cathode material. The Elyria plant is expected to be the largest cathode material production facility in North America.
German chemical company BASF Corporation has more than 15,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.5 billion in 2008.
To read press on the Elyria BASF facility, click here
