Curtis Tate Published

W.Va. Battery Manufacturer Gets $10 Million Federal Boost

A black EV charger cord is plugged into a gray Subaru Solterra in the parking lot of a public library on a summer evening.
The public library in South Charleston has a Level 2 EV charger.
Curtis Tate / WVPB
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The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Sparkz nearly $10 million to produce iron phosphate in a shuttered glass factory in Bridgeport.

Iron phosphate is a key ingredient in the lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles but very little is produced domestically.

Sparkz has agreements with the United Mine Workers of America and the West Virginia Economic Development Authority.

The facility will employ 75 workers, and former mine workers will be recruited and trained for the positions.  

Nationwide, the Energy Department is spending $428 million to bolster the clean energy supply chain, with a priority on supporting disadvantaged communities.