MOSES LAKE, Wash. — Moses Lake is well on its way to becoming a hub for advanced battery manufacturing. Thursday, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Washington state Senator Maria Cantwell and Gov. Jay Inslee visited two companies that are paving the way for battery technology in the area.
Sila and Group14 are two companies putting Moses Lake on the cutting edge of advanced battery technology. Last year, these companies invested each of their $100 million federal grants into building manufacturing facilities in Grant County’s largest city
At Sila, everything from this Moses Lake facility will be commercial large-scale production for electric vehicles, and Group14’s BAM-2 facility will be the world’s largest factory for advanced silicon battery materials.
“It’s Moses Lake’s moment,” Cantwell said.
Cantwell, Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visited the companies to see firsthand how they’re progressing.
“It’s exciting that you guys in Moses Lake are really leading the way,” Granholm said. “It’s such a wonderful story and I’m thrilled to be here.”
Sila recognizes not only did their grant fund the construction of their facility, but also invests in the community. That’s why Sila partnered with Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake to support a workforce pipeline.
“What we envision is that a high school student could graduate from high school with a certificate or a degree where they can walk right in to a job at Sila,” Dr. Sara Thompson Tweedy of Big Bend Community College said.
Construction of Sila is still underway with production expected to start next year. Over at Group14, its CEO and founder is looking forward to starting production this summer.
“We are going to lead a transformation from lithium ion batteries to silicon batteries and it’s going to start and grow right here in Moses Lake,” said Rick Luebbe, CEO and founder of Group14.
Luebbe says just 80% of Group14’s hires from last year are from the local work force.
“That’s what’s really exciting to see how much Moses Lake could really become the epicenter of this clean energy eco system,” Cantwell said.
