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American technology company Form Energy, Inc. is nearing completion of construction of Form Factory 1, the company’s first high-volume manufacturing facility. Located in Weirton, West Virginia, Form Factory 1 will be the site of production for iron-air batteries, which are used in renewable energy technologies including the electric grid.
Form Energy broke ground on the facility in May 2023 and anticipates starting production in late 2024. The facility, which has received nearly $800 million in venture capital funding, currently employs about 100 workers and more than 500 contractors on site daily. When operating at full capacity, Form Factory 1 will employ at least 750 people.
“It has been such a journey to get here,” said Ted Wiley, Form Energy’s president and chief operating officer. “We looked all over the country for a place to build Form’s first factory. I couldn’t be more happy and feel more fortunate that we decided to pick Weirton as the place for Form’s new home.”
The factory will also feature a museum dedicated to the former site, Weirton Steel Corporation.
West Virginia, located in central Appalachia, ranks number one on the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization (Energy Communities IWG’s) top 25 priority communities list. Historically, Weirton was a national leader in steel production and lost many manufacturing jobs over the years. Since 2010, West Virginia has had a net loss of more than 6,000 direct coal mining jobs. As of 2021, there were nearly 14,500 coal mining employees there, down from nearly 44,000 in the 1970s.
Form Energy develops and commercializes cost-effective, multi-day energy storage systems. The company’s technology, including its iron-air batteries, has long-lasting storage that is able to store electricity for up to 100 hours, easing strain on the electrical grid.
The Energy Communities IWG is charged with advancing an interagency commitment of robust federal leadership in direct partnership with energy communities to foster economic investment and revitalization and ensure the creation of good-paying jobs. The Energy Communities IWG has identified billions of dollars in funding to support transitioning energy communities in reviving their economy for the future. Investments in projects such as Natrium help ensure new jobs and opportunities will become available in new energy sectors.