Sunlight Batteries USA, Inc., a manufacturer of lithium-ion and other high-performance batteries, announced it will invest $40 million to expand its operations into Alamance County. The company will create more than 130 jobs for its new facility in Mebane. Sunlight Batteries USA is a subsidiary of Sunlight Group, a world-leading technology company headquartered in Athens, Greece.
“Sunlight’s expansion is another example of North Carolina being a great fit for companies in the clean energy space, particularly when it comes to battery manufacturing,” said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC). “North Carolina is home to more than 80% of the known lithium reserves in the U.S., the largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast and our East Coast location offers easy access to critical supply chains and customers.”
Sunlight currently operates a production facility in Greensboro, and the Mebane facility will use robot-assisted technology to develop and produce lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries for industrial applications. Salaries for these new positions will vary, but the average salary of $67,589 is above Alamance County’s current average of $46,999. The annual payroll impact can potentially be $8.5 million.
The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina would like to recognize the North Carolina Department of Commerce as well as other key partners involved in this project, including the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Alamance County, the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce and Duke Energy.