Lithium battery-maker EnerDel is planning a new manufacturing plant at the Mount Comfort Business Park in Hancock County, IN. The company says it expects to employ 1,100 people at the facility over the next five years.
The company expects to invest $277 million in the plant. EnerDel also is seeking a $480 million federal loan from the Department of Energy to underwrite its expansion.
EnerDel will receive state and local government incentives worth $53.1 million in exchange for its expansion commitment. Hancock County will provide $30 million in incentives, primarily in the form of tax abatements. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is offering another $21.3 million in performance-based incentives. The average wage for EnerDel’s new jobs is expected to be $18.50 per hour.
EnerDel looked at sites across central Indiana, including Marion and Hamilton counties, and locations in Michigan, before selecting the Hancock County site. According to CB Richard Ellis , which represented EnerDel in its search, EnerDel was attracted to the Mount Comfort site because it is shovel ready. Last September, Browning Inc. completed construction on a pair of buildings there designed for light manufacturing or distribution. EnerDel chose the larger of the two, a 423,000-square-foot facility with multiple back doors and cross-docking.
