Ground was broken Thursday morning for what is shaping up to be not just Christian County’s largest economic investment in history, but western Kentucky as a whole.
Ascend Elements will move into the location in Commerce Park #2 in Hopkinsville with construction set to be completed on a first-of-its-kind facility in 2024, and after the announcement of nearly $500 million in federal grant funding, it will be just shy of a billion-dollar investment. Governor Andy Beshear was in Hopkinsville for the occasion, and he says the sky is the limit for Ascend Elements and Kentucky.
He says the jobs and economic impact this company will bring to not just Christian County, but the region, will change lives.
It will now create approximately 450 jobs, and CEO Michael O’Kronley says Hopkinsville beat out several strong competitors thanks to many factors, including an open and welcoming community.
Hopkinsville Mayor Wendell Lynch says he’s proud that Hopkinsville and Christian County was chosen, and this will bring high paying jobs to the citizens.
O’Kronley says Ascend Elements is revolutionizing the production of lithium-ion battery materials and the facility in Hopkinsville will home to innovative technology that allows the company to recycle mass from electric vehicle batteries and create enough battery materials to equip up to 250,000 electric vehicles per year.