Groundbreaking ceremony held in Kentucky on up to $1 billion project that will improve the supply of sustainable battery materials for the U.S. electric vehicle industry.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held recently for an Ascend Elements manufacturing facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The first-of-its-kind plant will use Ascend Elements’ patented Hydro-to-Cathode™ direct precursor synthesis process. This closed-loop system manufactures sustainable, engineered battery materials from recycled batteries while reducing reliance on mining and generating minimal waste and carbon emissions compared to traditional cathode manufacturing. Turner Construction Company, Kokosing Industrial, and SSOE will serve as the design-build team on the project.
Once completed, the 500,000 square foot plant will create up to 400 full-time jobs and will produce enough material annually to power more than 250,000 electric vehicles.
“It is great to be part of project that supports rebuilding and recovering efforts in a community which was hit by a monumental tornado late last year. Construction of this plant represents the single largest investment in Western Kentucky history,” said Tom Manahan, Senior Vice President of Turner Construction Company. Tom continued, “The result of our efforts will support economic growth in the region and Ascend Elements’ goal to produce a domestic source of sustainable lithium-ion cathode material for electric vehicle batteries.”
“Kokosing Industrial is proud to be part of the team to deliver this exciting and important project for Ascend Elements and the communities of Western Kentucky,” stated Tom Muraski, President of Kokosing Industrial, “We are looking forward to working together with the building trades and local contracting community.”
SSOE Business Leader Mathew Bierschbach, who is serving as project manager, commented, “It’s always exciting to start seeing our design come to life with the first shovels in the ground. With clearing and grading permitting in place, the Turner / Kokosing team will be able to begin grading the 140-acre site this month while the SSOE team continues the detailed design of the process with Ascend Elements. This ‘design-assist’ involvement of the construction trades during design helps clients like Ascend save on both cost and schedule.”