CLARKSVILLE, TN — JE Dunn and Dongwha Electrolyte broke ground on a brand new 35,000-square-foot production facility in Clarksville, Tennessee. Located northeast of the city, the new facility will produce electrolyte material, a chemical that allows an electrical charge to pass between two terminals inside a lithium-ion battery. The groundbreaking ceremony included executives from JE Dunn and Dongwha Electrolyte, along with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, members of Clarksville’s local government, and economic and community development board members.

“We are excited to invest in Montgomery County for Dongwha Electrolyte’s first manufacturing facility in the United States,” said SooHaeng Lee, Head of Operation for Dongwha Electrolyte USA. “This facility will be key in better positioning our company to serve electric vehicle battery manufacturers in the area and position us for future growth.”

Headquartered in South Korea, Dongwha Electrolyte selected a 40-acre site to build the $70 million plant. The Clarksville site was chosen to better position Dongwha Electrolyte to serve electric vehicle lithium battery producers across the southeastern United States. When complete, the facility will be Dongwha Electrolyte’s first manufacturing plant in North America and the company’s fifth overall, extending their global footprint. The new facility will create 68 jobs in the Clarksville market.

“This new Dongwha Electrolyte facility represents a watershed moment for Clarksville and the broader region,” said Erik Magsamen, Vice President at JE Dunn. “The state of Tennessee has quickly become a hot bed for the next wave of automotive innovation, and Dongwha’s investment and belief in the local community is a tremendous example of this."

The electrolyte production facility is slated to be finished in July 2024. Design Innovation Architects, Bennett & Pless, and I.C. Thomasson Associates will be joining JE Dunn on the project.