Amprius Technologies, Inc., a leader in lithium-ion batteries with its Silicon Anode Platform, today announced it has signed a letter of intent for a 775,000 square foot facility in Brighton, Colorado. The factory, targeted to be operational in 2025, will be built in phases starting with an initial 500 megawatt-hours (MWh) with the potential of up to 5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) within the initial footprint. This capacity increase is a significant expansion to Amprius’ manufacturing capacity and will serve strong customer demand for its high-performance silicon anode lithium-ion batteries.
Amprius selected Colorado for its high-volume manufacturing facility following an extensive evaluation of key criteria across three states. Specifically, the location has a 1.3 million square foot existing factory site equipped with the electric power and structural layout ideal for a gigawatt-hour scale lithium-ion battery factory, reducing expected build-out costs. Also, this facility is in closer proximity to essential materials, as well as critical transportation infrastructure, together limiting logistical and operational costs. Overall, this site exceeded the Company’s requirements and is expected to both streamline time-to-market and drive effective customer fulfillment. Execution of the lease agreement remains subject to ongoing negotiations.
“The selection of Colorado for our gigawatt-scale factory marks an important milestone for Amprius,” said Dr. Kang Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Amprius Technologies. “We worked closely with the state of Colorado, the Colorado Economic Development Commission, Adams County, and the City of Brighton to align on terms that are mutually beneficial and include a comprehensive incentive proposal. Increasing production to meet the substantial market demand for our breakthrough silicon anode lithium-ion technology remains a priority, and we are confident this factory will allow us to scale and effectively serve the electric mobility market.”
To further intensify the focus on product and technology development and the emphasis on manufacturing scale up, the Company has formed two business units. Amprius Fab, to be located in Brighton, Colorado, will focus on large scale manufacturing of silicon anode batteries, and Amprius Lab, located in Fremont, California, will focus on advanced battery technology, product, and manufacturing process development. To support this transition, Jon Bornstein, currently the Company’s COO, will take a new role to lead Amprius Lab as the division President. Bornstein has led Amprius’ silicon anode development and pilot production over 10 years and is exceptionally well-suited for the role. In the interim, Dr. Sun will serve as the acting President of Amprius Fab.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis commented, “We need more batteries to power the future, and now we will be manufacturing more of them right here in Colorado. We are excited to welcome Amprius to Colorado, bringing over 300 new good-paying jobs and joining Colorado’s innovative and collaborative business community.”
Colorado U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper commented, “We need more batteries for our clean energy future and we should build them right here in America. Thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Amprius is making Colorado the home for that future.”
The initial phase of 500 MWh will be funded in part by the $50 million cost sharing grant selected for negotiation of award in October 2022 from the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”)’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (“MESC”). Amprius is among the first set of companies announced to receive funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries, specifically focused on U.S.-based processing of materials and components. The initial phase is expected to create over 330 new jobs and be operational in 2025. For subsequent phases, the site has both additional square footage and acreage available to realize up to an expected total potential manufacturing capacity of 10 GWh.