BAINBRIDGE – Governor Kemp celebrates the Anovion facility groundbreaking in Decatur County.
Release:
Governor Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp joined state and local leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of Anovion Technologies’ (Anovion) new manufacturing facility, which will supply premium synthetic graphite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The project will create more than 400 jobs and over $800 million in investment in Decatur County.
“Today’s event is the culmination of months of hard work by the local community and sustained talks and efforts at the state level which is fast becoming the e-mobility capital of the nation,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “As the latest milestone on Georgia’s path to becoming the e-mobility capital of the nation, this project means literally all four corners of our state have seen major investment and job creation from this industry. We will not let our foot off the gas when it comes to putting in the hours it takes to build relationships with job creators like Anovion and bring jobs and investments to all Georgians no matter their zip code.”
Since Governor Kemp took office in 2018, EV-related projects have committed over $24 billion in investment and more than 31,000 jobs to communities across Georgia. These projects are the result of local leaders, from development authorities to elected officials, and state officials from the Department of Economic Development, General Assembly, and Governor’s Office working with businesses to build lasting relationships.
As the State of Georgia has been recognized as the No. 1 state for business for nine consecutive years, employers continue to recognize the advantages of choosing the Peach State. Georgia’s top-ranked workforce training program, QuickStart, and the hard work of the Department of Economic Development are consistently cited as leading causes of the explosive growth Georgia has enjoyed.
Anovion’s new 1,500,000-square-foot facility with its proprietary furnace technologies, located at Downrange Industrial Park in Bainbridge, will be the first of its size and scale in North America. The facility will produce synthetic graphite for use in batteries that power EVs, electric storage systems, electronics, military applications, and other products. Operations are expected to begin in late 2025.
With major EV-related projects now announced, under construction, or operational in all four corners of Georgia (southwest, southeast, northeast, northwest), the state remains well-positioned to set itself apart as the e-mobility capital of the nation.
Governor Kemp’s Full Remarks from the Groundbreaking:
Good afternoon, everyone… and thank you, Mayor Reynolds, for that introduction.
Marty and I are honored to be with you as we celebrate an incredible new beginning… and the culmination of hard work by all the local officials here today and our partners on the state level.
I want to recognize:
• Eric Stopka and the Anovion executive leadership team
• Congressman Bishop
• Senator Ossoff
• Commissioner Pat Wilson and team members from the nation’s best department of economic development
• The mayor and members of the city council
• Chairman Pete Stephens and the other members of the Decatur County Commission
• Andy Bell and the members of the Development Authority of Bainbridge and Decatur County
• Jim Glass, who does a great job leading the Southern Regional Technical College that will help provide this facility’s workforce
• And so many others on the local level who have made today possible
Today represents many great victories for Georgia.
As I said before, it’s the culmination of a lot of hard work on the part of the local community.
It’s the result of many months of careful and sustained talks and efforts on the state level, through the Department of Economic Development, members of the General Assembly, and my own office.
It’s a direct outcome of our decision very early in my administration to prioritize job creation in the rural parts of our state.
And it marks the latest milestone on Georgia’s path to becoming the e-mobility capital of the nation.
The facility that will soon stand on this ground will be the first company in Georgia to produce synthetic graphite for lithium-ion batteries that are so crucial to the EV industry.
I’m also proud to officially report that with this project, EV suppliers throughout the state have now more than doubled the initial investment estimate made for these important parts of our growing e-mobility ecosystem.
Those EV suppliers, alone, have now committed over 2 billion dollars to all parts of the state.
And, with this project’s groundbreaking, literally all four corners of the state have seen major investment and significant job creation as a result of our work to lead the industrial revolution of our time.
Because Anovion chose the No. 1 state for business, 400 new jobs and 800 million dollars in investment are coming to this community.
That’s something we’re incredibly thankful for, and those are just the latest numbers to be added to the historic opportunities coming to Georgia as a result of this work.
Since 2020, EV-related projects have committed more than 22.7 billion dollars in investments and over 29,000 new jobs for hardworking Georgians!
This project is also a good example of how quickly Georgia is moving when it comes to taking the lead in this industry. It was only a month ago that we announced this project… and we’re already breaking ground.
Battery material manufacturers like Anovion are at the center of this emerging market. They’re also key to reducing our reliance on imported materials from countries like China that seek to undermine American strength.
But what is also important to remember is that while Georgia is experiencing unprecedented job growth in this area, unlike top-down systems like China’s… and those advocated by some on the federal level, we aren’t dictating how this growth happens.
We aren’t picking winners and losers.
We’re letting the market drive this innovation and expansion.
That’s why job creators like Anovion are coming to Georgia.
And that’s why when we broke ground on the Hyundai Metaplant on the other side of the state just eight months ago, then-Ambassador Cho – who now serves as Korean President Yoon’s national security director – criticized the so-called Inflation Reduction Act for harming both consumers and job creators.
Because that approach simply doesn’t work.
Georgia’s electric mobility boom is taking place because our state is second to none for companies looking to invest, relocate, expand, and innovate – not because the federal government continues to put their thumb on the scale, favoring a few companies over the industry as a whole.
When President Biden and others falsely try to take credit for Georgia’s success, don’t forget that next year is an election year.
So, I’m grateful to be standing alongside those who actually deserve credit for the history being made here today: the local elected and economic leaders, the postsecondary education providers who are growing a workforce worthy of the No. 1 state for business nine times over, and the unsung heroes on the state level who work tirelessly to bring these jobs to communities like this.
They don’t posture or showboat, and they don’t try to steal credit while they churn out victories like this all over the state and in record time.
For two back-to-back years, we’ve broken all the records for economic development. 85 percent of the billions of dollars in investment and the vast majority of the new jobs we announced in those two years are going to rural areas of our state like this one.
In fact, since I took office, this region has attracted over 2.3 billion dollars in investment and more than 5,300 new jobs.
That deserves a round of applause for our local and state economic developers!
Ultimately, today is about partnerships, not political campaigns.
This project is a great example of collaboration between Decatur County, leaders throughout the entire Locate South Georgia region, and our team on the state level.
Today is about those who do the hard work, not those who take credit for other’s work.
And most of all, new beginnings like this are about the hardworking Georgians who will work at this facility and their families.
So, on behalf of a grateful state, thank you to those who truly made this project happen, and thank you to the Anovion Technologies team for betting on Georgia.
We’ll prove over and over again that you made the right choice!
Congratulations to the Bainbridge community and God bless!
