Wilsonville business to receive $50 million in federal funds

A Wilsonville-based business will receive $50 million in federal funds to expand its facility.

According to a press release, the money will allow ESS Inc., which specializes in long-duration, environmentally-friendly energy storage to power commercial and industrial users, to build new battery storage production lines at its Wilsonville facility. The financing will support 100 full-time jobs in Oregon.

“This fresh investment in ESS and Wilsonville proves yet again there’s a lot of green in the blue-collar jobs generated by clean energy innovation throughout Oregon,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR, said in the press release. “The new production lines this financing will support means more jobs in and around Wilsonville as well as more economic benefits rippling out statewide.”

Funding comes from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, or EXIM, as part of the Make More in America Initiative. The EXIM website states the initiative is meant to help U.S. companies manufacture domestically with loans, loan guarantees and insurance from EXIM available to “export-oriented domestic manufacturing projects.”

Financing priority is given to environmentally beneficial projects, small businesses and transformational export area transactions, including renewable energy and energy storage, according to the website.

The Board of Directors for the Export-Import Bank of the United States unanimously approved the $50 million investment. This is the fourth deal approved under the MMIA Initiative.

The EXIM financing package includes financing for two production lines in the near term, and a preliminary commitment to finance several additional production lines as ESS grows production capacity to meet demand. According to the press release, the new production lines will triple ESS’s annual production capacity at the Wilsonville facility, allowing the company to increase exports to Europe, Australia and Africa.

“Our partnership with EXIM underscores the critical role that American-made clean energy technology will play in the global clean energy transition,” Eric Dresselhuys, ESS CEO, said in a separate press release. “ESS’s iron flow technology is already deployed in Australia and Europe and with this agreement, we are well positioned to meet the growing needs of our current and future global customers.”

“I am so proud to see this new federal investment coming to Wilsonville. This funding will support local innovation and create approximately 100 full-time, good paying jobs right here in Oregon’s Sixth District,” Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, said. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and I will keep fighting to deliver the resources they need to continue making more in America.”

More information about ESS, Inc. can be found on the company website .