875 jobs coming to Kentucky’s ‘Silicon Holler’
An energy company called EnerBlu announcing Friday it’s fueling 875 jobs in Pikeville.
EnerBlu is making a $412 million investment, looking to hire 875 people in Pikeville and another 110 in Lexington. The average annual salary is $81,000.
“This kind of seed in the ground economically is going to bear fruit for generations,” said Gov. Matt Bevin (R). “It’s just fun to be a part of it.”
The Pikeville facilty will build lithium-titanate oxide (LTO) batteries with a number of applications: powering military vehicles and equipment, heavy trucks and cranes and even the electric grid.
Officials said there is a a huge market for growth with countries like China committing to electrifying all vehicles by 2030.
“It’s almost a dream here for a lot of out-of-work coal miners with the skill set they’re looking for people that may have moved out of the area that would like to come home,” said Pikeville Mayor James Carter.
Out of dozens of states vying for EnerBlu, Pikeville was chosen even though Kentucky offered a fewer incentives.
Bevin said it amounts to tens of millions of dollars the company lost out on.
