Pennsylvania-headquartered EnerSys will build a $500 million battery cell plant near Piedmont in South Carolina’s Upstate. (Provided by EnerSys)
GREENVILLE — The world’s largest industrial battery maker is building a $500 million plant in the Upstate that could eventually employ 500 people.
Pennsylvania-headquartered EnerSys announced plans Wednesday to manufacture lithium-ion battery cells at a 500,000-square-foot plant on 140 acres near Piedmont, south of Greenville. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2025. The target for operations to start is late 2027.
Wages for factory floor workers will start at $24 an hour. Salaries for engineers will start at $90,000, according to the company.
It’s the latest battery-related investment celebrated by South Carolina officials.
But unlike past announcements, EnerSys’ focus goes beyond electric vehicles.
“Electric vehicles sort of suck all the oxygen out of the room when you talk about batteries,” said CEO David Shaffer.
EnerSys also makes components for batteries that go in everything from submarines to satellites, as well as battery storage important to renewable energy sources, such as solar.