The U.S. Department of Energy has made the decision to not award $200 million in grants to Microvast for their Tennessee location, and officials in Kentucky are looking to see what this means for their proposed location in Christian County.
According to Politico and other news sources, the Department of Energy had conditionally selected Microvast to receive that grant that would have helped fund a factory for battery technology in Clarksville. But on Monday, the department stated that negotiations had ended, with no reason immediately given.
Recently, it was announced that Microvast had chosen Commerce Park #2 in Christian County to invest $504 million and create 562 full-time jobs. Construction was expected to begin this year and be completed by March 2025.
Southwestern Kentucky Economic Development Council Director Carter Hendricks says they are in contact with Microvast, the state and Tennessee Valley Authority about the circumstances. He says that at this time, they believe Microvast remains committed to the Christian County project, but the situation remains fluid.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear tells WHOP News that his administration is working to gather all the information they can as they look to move forward.
The project locally would be Microvast Advanced Membrane Inc.’s first in Kentucky and would locate in Commerce Park #2 in Hopkinsville and consist of a 350,000-square-foot building on 100 acres.