ENTEK picks contractor for building new $1.5 billion Indiana plant

ENTEK Lithium Separators said on April 20 that Chicago-based Clayco will be its design-build contractor for a new facility in Indiana.

ENTEK announced in March that it was investing $1.5 billion in building the new Terre Haute lithium ion battery separator production facility in the state.

Clayco will design and build the production facilities in Terre Haute to house equipment for the production of lithium battery separators across an area of about 1.4 million ft2

ENTEK said Clayco brings significant experience in the EV segment from projects with companies such as SK On and Group14, which recently announced the world’s biggest factory for production of advanced silicon battery materials that is being designed and built by Clayco in Washington state.

Clayco has also delivered manufacturing plants throughout the entire electric vehicle supply chain, including battery component and mineral plants for anode and cathode providers, lithium-ion battery cell production plants, and vehicle manufacturing and assembly plants.

The Indiana site will help ENTEK scale its US production to be capable of supporting 1.4 to 1.6 million EVs annually by 2027.

The company plans to break ground on the campus in 2023-2024 and launch operations be-

Clayco will design and build the production facilities in Terre Haute to house equipment for the production of lithium battery separators across an area of about 1.4 million ft2 tween 2025-2027.

ENTEK CEO Larry Keith said: “We’re embarking on a project that will have positive impacts on the local and larger economy, as well provide a key component required for the electrification of vehicles to further US cli- mate goals — and a partner like Clayco brings the experience to make informed decisions to help us achieve our objectives.”

ENTEK is the only producer of wet-process lithium ion battery separator materials owned and based in the US.