Panasonic’s Kansas battery plant, the $4 billion project that Oklahoma lost to its neighbor a few years ago following intense campaigning by both states, is approaching 50% of production capacity.
The Kansas Reflector reports it should be attained in the new few months, according to an official with Panasonic. The Reflector quoted Kristen Walters, vice president of human resources who explained the company is beginning two new production lines at the plant in De Soto, a suburb of Kansas City. Two lines are already in operation and construction has been initiated on a second wing of the massive lithium-ion battery cell plant.
Walters said two of the wing’s four lines will be in operation next year. The plant opened last July and despite the President’s elimination of tax credits for EV purchases, the company added battery customers in addition to Tesla. The Trump removal of tax credits dropped Panasonic’s sales in the fourth quarter of last year by 36%.
Once the plant is fully operational, it will have 4,000 workers. Walters said it currently has 1,400 employees.
Oklahoma suffered a bitter defeat in 2022 when Panasonic chose De Soto over Oklahoma for the plant. At the time, the Kansas incentives were considered to be “superior” to what Oklahoma offered, an incentive package exceeding $1 billion. Oklahoma’s legislation, the Large-scale Economic Activity and Development Act, was a $698 million financial incentive package to possibly attract the plant near Tulsa.