The Daily Reporter
EnerDel, an Indianapolis-based automotive lithium-ion battery maker, is considering the Axcess70 Business Park in Mt. Comfort as one of three possible sites for a large scale manufacturing facility.
If EnerDel chooses to locate in Mt. Comfort, it will invest $184 million and create 800 jobs with average annual wages of $19.57 an hour, according to a draft letter presented this morning to the county council. Eight hundred jobs would put EnerDel among the county's largest employers.
The lithium-ion batteries produced by EnerDel are a new technology that could power future generations of hybrid, hybrid plug-in and electric cars.
EnerDel is flush with federal stimulus dollars. President Obama announced Aug. 5 that EnerDel will receive $118.5 million in federal grant money to expand the company's U.S. production capacity.
Dennis Maloy, executive director of Hancock Economic Development Council, addressed the county council this morning on behalf of EnerDel. He asked them to consider providing $28 million in incentives to choose to locate in Hancock County.
Officials in two other counties have already submitted their proposals to lure EnerDel. The company was waiting for a competing offer from Hancock County, which the Hancock County Council unofficially signed off on this morning. Local officials don't know the details of the competing offers.
Axcess70 is the new park by Browning Investments of Indianapolis that's located off CR 300N east of Mt. Comfort Road.