Battery parts producer plans $1.5B project in Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Oregon-based battery parts producer Entek plans to invest $1.5 billion in a new manufacturing campus in Terre Haute and create 642 jobs by the end of 2027, officials announced Tuesday.

The investment will support the growing electric vehicle industry in Indiana, the company said.

Entek, based in Lebanon, Oregon, makes battery separators for lithium-ion battery manufacturers.

Plans for the project include four buildings totaling 1.4 million square feet in the Vigo County Industrial Park.

Entek CEO Larry Keith said available land and community were key in the decision to locate in Terre Haute.

“We chose Terre Haute for many reasons including the excellent workforce opportunity, a nearly shovel ready construction site with available utilities located in an industrial park, excellent vocational education, and the business-friendly incentives from both the state and local governments,” Keith said in a news release.

“This decision cements Indiana’s leadership in the electric vehicle supply chain sector,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said in the release.

Pending approval from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) board of directors, the agency will provide up to $8 million in tax credits and up to $300,000 in training grants. The IEDC also has committed to as much as $5.4 million in other grants and performance payments.