Amprius Technologies selects Brighton for new gigafactory

BRIGHTON — Amprius Technologies Inc. (NYSE: AMPX), has made it official, selecting Brighton for a new gigafactory to manufacture lithium-ion batteries.

Gov. Jared Polis and the Global Business Development Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade Monday announced that Amprius, based in Fremont, California, has signed a letter of intent for a 775,000-square-foot facility in Brighton. Amprius plans to establish a gigawatt-scale factory to support lithium-ion battery production for the U.S. electric mobility market. 

“We need more batteries to power the future, and now we will be manufacturing more of them right here in Colorado. We are excited to welcome Amprius to Colorado, bringing over 300 new good-paying jobs, and joining Colorado’s innovative and collaborative business community,” Polis said in a prepared statement.

The project has secured various incentives from local, county and state agencies. The Brighton City Council last week agreed to provide use and property-tax rebates valued at $929,000, and the Adams County Board of County Commissioners will consider an economic-development incentive agreement at a March 14 public meeting.

The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved up to $5.5 million in performance-based Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits for Amprius over an eight-year period, contingent upon the company meeting net new job creation and salary requirements.

Amprius will occupy 775,000 square feet of a 1.3-million-square-foot building at 18875 E. Bromley Lane, with an option to use more. The building formerly housed a Sears/Kmart distribution center.

The company plans to be operating the facility by June 1, 2024. Its products will be used in electric vehicles, drones, and the aerospace industry.

Amprius is one of the first companies to receive funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand domestic manufacturing of electric vehicle and electrical grid batteries. Amprius plans to invest $190 million, including a $50 million cost-sharing grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, to provide a potential capacity of up to 5 gigawatt hours.

“The selection of Colorado for our gigawatt factory marks an important milestone for Amprius,” Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius Technologies, said in a prepared statement. “We worked closely with the state of Colorado, the Colorado Economic Development Commission, Adams County, and the City of Brighton to align on terms that are mutually beneficial, which includes a comprehensive incentive proposal. Increasing production to meet the substantial market demand for our breakthrough silicon anode lithium-ion technology remains a priority, and we are confident this factory will allow us to scale and effectively serve the electric mobility market.”

Amprius currently has 60 employees, none of whom are in Colorado. In addition to Brighton, the company considered Texas and Georgia for expansion.

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