South Carolina has invested heavily in the electric vehicle manufacturing industry. (File/Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
ORANGEBURG — An Indian company that supplies electric vehicle battery materials plans to open a $1 billion plant in Orangeburg, employing 124 people.
Birla Carbon announced Tuesday it will build a 435,000-square-foot plant at the Tri-County Industrial Site producing synthetic graphite and supplying battery materials for the electric vehicle, battery and defense industries.
“This plant is an investment in the future as the demand for electric vehicles and energy storage markets only grow,” Birla Carbon CEO John Loudermilk said in a statement.
The Mumbai-based company plans to start hiring next year and begin operations in 2026.
Birla plans to supply enough materials for 40 gigawatt hours’ worth of battery capacity and will initially produce 25,000 tons of synthetic graphite annually.
“When innovative global companies like Birla Carbon choose to invest in our state, it sends a message that South Carolina has the resources and workforce necessary for businesses to thrive,” state Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey said in a statement.
Birla has been in operation for more than 160 years and has 17 manufacturing facilities in 14 countries, serving industries that include rubber, plastics, inks and more.
In the U.S., the company already has plants in Kansas and Louisiana, as well as corporate offices and a technology research center in Marietta, Georgia, according to its website.
South Carolina’s economic development officials approved income tax credits for Birla worth $25,000 for each new job.
Orangeburg County is still in the negotiating process for a potential deal on property taxes. No further information has been made public at this time.
The site is owned and developed by Tri-County Electric Cooperative. The cooperative, along with the economic development organization representing the state’s 19 electric cooperatives, known as the South Carolina Power Team, have invested a combined $12 million in the 380-park, improving roads, water and sewer service and site grading.