SIDNEY, OH—Fresh off of winning Intel’s $20 billion project to make semiconductors in Licking County, the state is on the verge of landing another big project: a $900 million investment by a Chinese manufacturer of materials used in batteries that power electric vehicles and other products.
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved tax incentives for Semcorp Manufacturing USA for the project, which would create some 1,200 jobs in Sidney, OH. The jobs have a payroll of $73 million.
The company is a large producer of separator film used in lithium-ion batteries. The company’s focus is on electric vehicles along with consumer electronics and energy storage systems.
The tax credits are worth an estimated $22.7 million.
“This project is critical to the U.S. supply chain as more (original equipment manufacturers) shift away from the internal combustion engine supply chain and toward electric vehicle production,” says Matt Englehart, spokesman for JobsOhio, the state’s economic development arm. “Ohio has a unique opportunity to lead in building a manufacturing and supply network that capitalizes on the fast growth in electric vehicles.”
Ohio is competing with Texas for the project. It would be Semcorp’s first North American manufacturing plant to support the electric vehicle battery market.
