Zinc8 considering new battery factory in Ulster

A company that is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has developed battery technology based on the use of the metal zinc in combination with air is considering setting up a manufacturing plant in Kingston in Ulster County. Zinc8 Energy Solutions believes there will be a large market for its modular Energy Storage System that uses zinc-air battery technology to store and deliver from 20,000 watts to 50 million watts of electricity.

Zinc8 has been considering setting up shop at the former TechCity site in Kingston, now known as iPark 87 and being redeveloped by Greenwich-based National Resources. For more than 30 years, the campus had been a major site for IBM where approximately 7,000 employees were located.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has come out in support of Zinc8 building a manufacturing plant at the iPark 87 site. Schumer”™s support is against the background of the federal government”™s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that includes $6 billion for federal incentives meant to expand capabilities of battery research and development in the U.S. The funding would help bolster domestic battery production, and shore up the American supply chain in an industry that has relied on foreign sources.

“Zinc8”™s interest in expanding hundreds of new jobs into the Hudson Valley … would be a win-win-win,” Schumer said. “A once-contaminated asbestos dumping ground can be revitalized and once again be the beating heart of Ulster County”™s economy, all while powering a cleaner, brighter future, fighting climate change and creating hundreds of good-paying jobs.”

Schumer had a telephone conversation with Zinc8”™s CEO, Ron MacDonald. Schumer said he told MacDonald, “I stand ready to help their potential expansion in the Hudson Valley in any way, including fighting to secure the historic federal battery research and development incentives I passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs law. Zinc8”™s investment in the Hudson Valley would further power New York”™s leadership as a global battery manufacturing hub.”

According to MacDonald, “Zinc8 is evaluating potential manufacturing sites in the Northeastern U.S. and has been very impressed with the locations and related facilities in New York. Having the support of Senator Schumer for our company and technology will weigh heavily on our decisions on where to locate our first major production facility.”

Schumer said that batteries and energy storage are integral to everyday life, helping to power everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles, but unfortunately, much of the manufacturing of this critical technology has been taking place in foreign countries, leaving the U.S. vulnerable to supply chain disruptions that can raise costs for products and projects that use batteries and jeopardize U.S. jobs and national security.

Zinc8 envisions that its zinc-air batteries could be called upon to release stored-up electricity when renewable sources such as wind and solar aren”™t producing at peak capacity. The company also believes its batteries would be backup sources replacing diesel generators. It points out that its technology differs from other types of batteries in that zinc-air batteries have no fire or explosion risks.

Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan praised Schumer for being “with us at the forefront of revitalizing the former IBM campus, returning it to its rightful place as the beating heart of our reenergized and revamped Ulster County economy.” Ryan gave Schumer credit for helping get the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strike an agreement with National Resources on the removal of asbestos piles from the former IBM site.

“We are excited about the opportunity to bring over 500 clean energy jobs to our area and expect thousands more to come as a result of our work,” Ryan said.

Mike Oates, president and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, also issued a statement praising Schumer and expressing a hope that Zinc8 actually does build its factory at the iPark 87 site.

In March, Zinc8 in partnership with Digital Energy Corp. announced an agreement to install a zinc-air battery technology at Fresh Meadows Community Apartments in Queens, a 32-building housing development owned by Cammeby Realty Corp. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority awarded about $500,000 to help finance the $2 million project.