Separator company Microporous is to invest $1.35 billion in construction of a new lithium-ion battery separator plant in Pittsylvania County, South Virginia.
The US company, which specialises in lead-acid battery separators, said it will develop two phases of the project, each being 500,000 sq ft.
The company said it plans to build on its core strength of lead battery separators and transition into lithium-ion battery separators for SLI batteries, automotive start-stop, motive power and stationary power applications.
The project received $100 million funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Other funding is flowing in too.
Trent Capital Partners took full ownership of Microporous this year and is supporting its expansion into the EV battery market.
In 2025, the company is launching new lithium-ion battery separator production in Piney Flats, Tennessee. It claims to be the first to produce ultra-thin, wet-process PE lithium-ion battery separators in North America.
