India-based battery materials company Epsilon Advanced Materials (EAM) has unveiled its plans to construct a $650m graphite anode manufacturing facility in Brunswick County, North Carolina, US.

The plans were revealed by the business alongside North Carolina governor Roy Cooper at Brunswick County Community College.

EAM managing director Vikram Handa said: “We’re proud to have North Carolina at the focal point of our US manufacturing strategy.

“With its favourable geographical location, business supportive policies and availability of a skilled talent pool, we are confident that the investment in the state is a major step towards creating sustainable energy transportation alternatives.”

The construction of this new 1.5 million square feet facility is estimated to generate 500 new jobs in the Greater Wilmington area.

The plant is also said to become the largest Indian investment in the US electric vehicle (EV) battery business.

The company plans to commence construction next year, begin production in 2026, and achieve full capacity at the factory by 2031.

Once fully operational, the plant will use green technology to manufacture high-capacity anode materials for EV batteries.

EAM CEO Sunit Kapur said: “Having an environmentally friendly world-class facility in North Carolina resolves supply chain concerns that the automotive industry has experienced in recent years.

“We are proud that with our tech capability to manufacture both natural and synthetic graphite, we will be able to provide graphite anodes to the growing EV battery industry faster, more reliably, and at a competitive cost without import challenges.”