$1.4 billion investment in first of its kind battery factory comes to Edgecombe Co.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WNCN) — A $1.4 billion investment is coming to Edgecombe County.

Battery maker Natron Energy is building the first sodium ion battery gigafactory in the country at the Kingsboro Megasite off Hwy 64 in Rocky Mount.

“It’s sort of our field of dreams,” Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson said. “It isn’t just a piece of land. It’s a gateway to opportunity.”

Natron Energy said the clean energy battery factory will be 40 times the size of its Michigan one. The company will hire more than 1,000 people with an average salary of $64,000. Some of uses for the batteries include data centers and electric vehicle chargers.

“North Carolina is becoming the heart of the booming battery belt,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. “This emerging clean energy economy means more good paying jobs in our state and more money in the pockets of families across eastern North Carolina.”

Roberson said the Natron Energy announcement is the sign of a thriving region.

“This is just the beginning we’re standing on the brink of an economic renaissance,” he said.