Weirton: An old steel town embraces renewable energy
Form Energy constructed a factory in Weirton producing large iron-air batteries, boosting renewable energy reliability. Set to begin manufacturing in January at the former Weirton Steel site, the facility features modern design elements and advanced equipment. The long-term goal is to become one of the world's largest battery manufacturing facilities.
jaysonmartinez
Weirton: An old steel town embraces renewable energy
Manufacturing will begin as early as January on the site of the former Weirton Steel.
A new factory is being built in Weirton, promising a greater future for the city.
Form Energy plans to do it by manufacturing large, iron-air batteries, creating a pathway to a reliable, renewable energy grid.
Manufacturing will begin as early as January on the site of the former Weirton Steel.
“We are connecting the old and the new,” said Soufiane Halily, vice president of the project. “We're building a steel battery in steel country. And this reminder is everywhere around us.”
Halily is responsible for designing, building, and launching Form Factory 1.
He took NEWS9’s cameras on a walkthrough, pointing out the intricacies of the build, including 38-foot-tall glass features. The front of the building will be completed with two stories of office and common space.
Halily says the space will have a modern and open feel as you are guided to the main portion, the manufacturing zone, where hundreds of people will work to make the batteries.
"In this area, we're going to have more than 200-foot-long furnaces and presses that help us make our anodes. On the second floor above us, we make our cathodes,” Halily said.
"Everything comes together a few feet away from here. This is where we assembly our cells, then they get assembled into modules.”
It all comes together to create the batteries, which will be used to boost a renewable energy power grid to make it more reliable.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Halily said. “Our goal, is to continue expanding in Weirton and making this one of the biggest battery manufacturing facilities in the world.”
