West Loop's NanoGraf gets $60M federal grant to build battery materials plant in Michigan

By Amy Lee

September 24, 2024

NanoGraf, the West Loop-based maker of advanced lithium-ion batteries, will build a $175 million manufacturing facility in Flint, Michigan.

The company announced last week it received a $60 million U.S. Department of Energy grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. Additional grants could come from the Make It in Michigan Competitiveness Fund, a pool of state money administered through the Michigan Infrastructure Office.

The project, which will retrofit an existing facility, will be completed in 2027 and produce an annual 2,500 tons of silicon anode material — enough to supply 1.5 million electric vehicles per year.

“Our expansion into Michigan will allow us to leap to larger scale production to meet national demands for high-performing EV batteries and consumer electronics,” Francis Wang, CEO of NanoGraf, said in a news release.

The plant was previously home to General Motors in the historic Buick City district and is the largest brownfield site in Michigan, according to NanoGraf. The company said it will create one of the world’s largest silicon anode facilities, as the U.S. aims to ramp up its supply of domestically made lithium-ion batteries.

The facility will create about 200 construction jobs through a labor agreement with the North American Building Trades Union. When complete, it will employ up to 150 people. The factory, NanoGraf’s third battery materials factory, will increase its total manufacturing footprint across Chicago and Michigan to more than 414,000 square feet.

NanoGraf will maintain its headquarters at 400 N. Noble St., which opened in December 2023. It also has an R&D facility at 455 N. Ashland Ave. that opened in March.