MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A California-based company with plans to build a battery manufacturing facility in West Virginia is considering Monongalia County as a potential location for the operation.
According to Monongalia County Commission President Tom Bloom, Sparkz Inc. has expressed interest in having its West Virginia site in the county. Sparkz CEO Sanjiv Malhotra announced plans for the facility last month alongside U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and federal leaders.
“I’ve met with the CEO, and I’m talking to them,” Bloom during a recent appearance on WAJR-AM’s Talk of the Town. “We want to bring that battery company here, and we’re one of several cities in the running.
Listen to “Talk of the Town | April 4, 2022” on Spreaker.
Sparkz plans to open a facility in West Virginia, in which Malhotra has shared a goal of initially hiring 350 workers. The facility would build cobalt-free batteries; the United States does not have large cobalt reserves, pushing other companies to consider alternatives.
The company has entered a partnership with the United Mine Workers of America to help former coal miners get jobs at the site. These plans preceded Monongalia County Resources’ recent decision to lay off the final 180 miners from the Blacksville No. 2 Mine.
“They are looking for miners that are out of work,” Bloom said. “They would be the first ones that could get those jobs.”
The facility would be another promising economic announcement for Monongalia County. Maryland-based Owens & Minor Inc. plans to bring around 140 jobs to the area. The West Virginia University Innovation Corporation recently announced it has acquired the former Viatris Inc. facility in Morgantown; the group will use the site for academic ventures.
“It’s difficult for whatever reason to come to West Virginia. People think it’s a bad business climate because that’s all you read,” Bloom said. “In Monongalia County, we’re an oasis. And we have to sell that.”
Malhotra said during the March 18 event in South Charleston that construction on the plant will begin this year.