The first U.S. manufacturing plant for Japanese Chemical Company UBE, which makes electric vehicle batteries, will be in Jefferson Parish. President of Jefferson Parish Economic Development Jerry Bologna said it’s a significant foreign direct investment of $500 million to the community.
“The creation of 56 direct jobs associated with it, 300 jobs related to the construction of the facility but more importantly it really gives us a foothold in the electric vehicle supply chain,” said Bologna.
Bologna said the synergy from Cornerstone Energy Park played a vital role in UBE’s decision to choose Jefferson Parish. He said they also liked the logistics the area provides…
“Being on the river with rail access and great road access, all of those things combined to make it a very attractive site for them and somewhere where they wanted to invest their capital,” said Bologna.
The project intends to bolster the domestic battery components supply chain and reduce the current reliance on Asian imports. Bologna said the plant in Jefferson Parish will manufacture key elements for EV batteries.
“Specifically dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) which are two of the significant components that go into the electric vehicle batteries and help extend the life and the recharging capabilities of those batteries,” said Bologna.
To secure the project Louisiana offered a competitive incentives package that includes workforce development.
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