By RYAN CRNARICH
Guest Columnist
It’s an exciting time to live and work in Indiana, as a spate of new clean energy and technology manufacturing projects are promising 21st century jobs and economic development in our communities. As global markets continue to evolve, these investments will help Indiana carve its own path toward American energy independence.
From electric vehicle (EV) battery production to innovative carbon capture and utilization (CCUS) technologies to new solar facilities, the investments Indiana is currently seeing in our energy, manufacturing, and technology industries are helping ensure a stronger, cleaner, and more sustainable future and economy for all Hoosiers.
Two new EV battery manufacturing plants – one in Kokomo and the other in St. Joseph County – currently under construction will help cement Indiana’s leadership in building out domestic EV supply chains. Not only will these facilities help keep manufacturing jobs here in the United States, but they will also strengthen our energy independence by reducing our reliance on hostile foreign countries like China to source the technologies necessary to advance EV adoption nationwide.
The first of these projects, a $3.2 billion EV battery plant, is a collaboration between Stellantis and Samsung that will help create 1,400 jobs in and around Kokomo. Once complete, it will be the second StarPlus Energy gigafactory in the city – the first is on track to begin production in 2025. The EV battery plant in St. Joseph County, a partnership between General Motors and Samsung, represents the single largest EV investment in our state’s history at $3.5 billion. It is expected to employ 1,600 Hoosiers once production begins in 2026.
Meanwhile, federal investments coming to a Mitchell-based cement plant will play a critical role in advancing CCUS technology in Indiana and across the country. Heidelberg Materials North America was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive up to $500 million to install a carbon capture and storage system at their facility. Once up and running, the CCUS project is expected to capture at least 95 percent of the carbon emissions, preventing 2 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released annually.
Further on the clean energy front, a new, $800 million solar cell manufacturing plant in Southeast Indiana was announced by Governor Eric Holcomb last year. The plant will help boost Indiana’s robust manufacturing sector, creating roughly 1,200 new jobs in Jeffersonville over the next several years. Once production begins at the end of 2025, this new facility will help advance domestic solar energy technologies, making solar more affordable and accessible for more Americans while diversifying our country’s energy mix.
These innovations and advancements are only possible thanks to commonsense public policy that encourages private investment in new, emerging technologies. That is what makes it even more notable that Indiana has a leader like Senator Todd Young in Washington. Senator Young was the driving force behind the CHIPS and Science Act, bipartisan legislation that is working to ensure America leads the world in technological innovation.
Hoosiers should be grateful for Senator Young’s leadership on this legislation as it is helping to strengthen our all-of-the-above energy strategy, including investments in critical clean energy technology and manufacturing. Continuing down this path will help ensure more jobs, a stronger economy, and a more sustainable future here in Indiana and throughout the nation.
Ryan Crnarich is a Butler University graduate and currently a J.D. candidate at IU McKinney School of Law.