KORE Power ready for next step toward construction of battery plant in Buckeye
Vertical construction for the long-planned KOREPlex battery cell manufacturing plant could start this year pending approval of the company’s site plans.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based KORE Power Inc. has completed some site work but has yet to start major construction on its planned facilities just east of State Route 85 and south of Baseline Road in Buckeye, about 40 minutes west of downtown Phoenix.
Buckeye’s planning commission is scheduled to vote on KORE’s latest site plan at its Feb. 27 meeting. If approved, the plan would expire in February 2026 if a building permit has not been issued for the project, a city of Buckeye staff report said.
The first phase, representing an investment of more than $1 billion, includes more than 1 million square feet including a 908,880-square-foot manufacturing plant, 27,930 square feet of administrative office space and 14 ancillary storage and supportive buildings of various sizes, according to site plans submitted to Buckeye.
The first phase will produce 6 gigawatt-hours of high-density cells for electric vehicles and energy storage using nickel manganese cobalt and lithium-ion iron phosphate.
It will also include an Arizona Public Service electrical substation and switchyard and 1,216 parking spaces with solar canopies. The main entrance into the campus will feature a roundabout on the west side of the property leading to the office building.
The second phase will comprise an additional 907,918 square feet of manufacturing space and additional support buildings. At full buildout the campus, built across 200 acres, is expected to total more than 2 million square feet with heights ranging from 30 feet to 76 feet.
Yates Construction is the general contractor for the project. SSOE Group, an engineering firm, submitted the site plan application on behalf of KORE Power.
KORE Power: First phase will create 1,600 jobs
A KORE Power spokesperson said in January that the overall project, including site work and utilities, was about 15% completed with an expected production start date in 2025. On Monday, a spokesperson said the company is “hoping” the site plan vote “will be a step forward, but there are additional moving pieces that are advancing.”
The first phase is expected to bring more than 1,600 new jobs and eventually ramp up to 3,000 workers with the second phase, making KORE Power one of Buckeye’s largest employers.
A spokesperson for the city of Buckeye said the site plan is the final item needed to be voted on by Buckeye’s planning commission with the exception of a minor subdivision that could be voted on in a consent agenda without public discussion.
Last year KORE Power received preliminary approval for an $850 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy for construction of its first phase in Buckeye. The company is currently working with the Department of Energy to close the loan, a spokesperson said.
It has also continued hiring key leaders for its project including a new chief operating officer, Michael Canada.
The project will be one of a few new battery manufacturing plants in the state. Across the Valley, tech giant LG Energy Solution is planning to build a $5.5 billion battery plant while in Tucson, American Battery Factory is developing a $1.2 billion manufacturing campus.