BENNINGTON, VT—Battery company Energizer says it is closing a manufacturing facility in Vermont at the beginning of 2021 and moving it to a plant in Portage, WI, that was previously owned by Rayovac but purchased by Energizer from Spectrum Brands early last year.

This announce was made in a two-paragraph note sent late last month to local officials, according to Marcus Boolish, Energizer Brands director of government affairs. The Portage plant has been operating for about 50 years.

Steve Sobiek, director of business development and planning for the city of Portage, said he hasn’t been told how many jobs will be added to the plant, which employs about 225 people. Empty parcels adjacent to the 100,000-square-foot facility could accommodate an expansion.

Three Vermont lawmakers said in a statement they had contacted the governor’s office and hoped it might be possible to keep Energizer in the community.