Lithium-ion battery maker to expand its Moorisville factory thanks to $100M from the feds

Forge Nano , a Colorado-based battery company , is expanding its Morrisville gigafactory thanks to $100 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Why it matters: Forge Nano is among a growing list of companies helping to make North Carolina a destination for production and employment in the battery industry.

• Other battery-focused projects announced throughout the state in recent years include Toyota , Natron Energy and Epsilon Advanced Materials .

Between the lines: Forge Nano plans to increase the production capacity of its lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility from 1 GWh/year to 3 GWh/year thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, the company said in a statement .

• The purpose of the expansion: To meet mounting customer demand for domestically produced battery cells, per Forge Nano.
• The company plans to have over 280 full-time employees and 550 part-time employees, spokesperson Will McKenna tells Axios.

Flashback: This latest funding boost adds to the plans Forge Nano disclosed late last year to invest $165 million into a new battery production facility at 401 Southport Dr. in Morrisville and hire around 200 people by 2027.

• The state, Wake County and Morrisville gave the company around $3.2 million in combined incentives for the facility.

What they're saying: "Domestic production of best-in-class lithium-ion battery cells is critical for the United States to compete on a global scale in the energy transition," said Paul Lichty, CEO of Forge Nano, in the statement.