Clean energy project in Pennsylvania expected to create 700 jobs

The Department of Energy announced on Aug. 31 a conditional commitment of $398.6 million in loan guarantees for the construction of battery production facilities in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. The loan to Eos Energy Enterprises came from the department’s Loan Programs Office using funds authorized by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The federal funds will be used as part of a planned $500 million expansion of Eos’ Project AMAZE (American Made Zinc Energy), the company said. The company produces batteries for zinc-powered long-duration stationary energy storage systems, which are used to store power generated by renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

The department said the project is expected to create up to 50 union construction jobs while the facility is being built and will employ as many as 650 people when operations are ongoing.

The Department of Energy said the communities in the region where the project is located have been designated as disadvantaged communities and that Eos had committed to growing a diverse and inclusive workforce in the area. The Biden administration has prioritized clean energy investments in communities with this designation as part of its Justice 40 initiative. The administration says its goal is for at least 40% of federal funds spent on clean energy and climate change projects to go to such areas to contribute to revitalization efforts.

“Project AMAZE should allow Eos to fully commercialize a safe American-made energy storage alternative aimed at creating a resilient, diversified lower carbon energy future,” CEO Joe Mastrangelo said in a statement.

The company projected that its current U.S.-based workforce would expand from 300 up to as many as 1,000 when the project is completed in 2026, bringing economic growth to the Monongahela Valley region.

“When we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, this is the kind of project we had in mind,” Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said in a press release. “It’s not only an investment in cutting edge technology, but also in Pennsylvania workers.”

Casey and all of the Democrats in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation voted for the law, which the state’s Republican representatives opposed.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) explained his vote against the bill in an August 2022 statement: “This legislation is stuffed full of socialist handouts, including more than $400 billion for radical Green New Deal policies, while everyday Americans will be forced to pay more at the pump thanks to $12 billion in taxes on American energy producers.”

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who also voted against the law, retired from the Senate earlier this year. His successor, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, supports the Inflation Reduction Act.

“This critical bill will reduce the budget deficit, make health insurance and prescription drugs cheaper, make sure that massive corporations actually pay their fair share of taxes, make huge strides in dealing with climate change, and invest in more American energy across the board,” Fetterman said in an August 2022 statement following the bill’s passage.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.