The plant will be built on the territory of the former ammunition factory. It will produce high capacity power cells for Tesla. The new facility is expected to bring 4,000 permanent jobs to the state, and another 16,500 will be involved in construction.

“As the largest private investment in Kansas history and one of the largest EV battery manufacturing plants of its kind in the country, this project will be transformative for our state’s economy, providing in total 8,000 high-quality jobs that will help more Kansans create better lives for themselves and their children,” said Governor Laura Kelly.

The new plant will contribute to Tesla’s production expansion. The automaker already operates a gigafactory in Nevada with Panasonic. Tesla opened its third gigafactory last April in Austin, Texas.

From 2020 to 2021, the volume of deliveries of Tesla cars increased by almost 90%. This was not hindered by global economic turmoil and disruptions in the supply chain due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, the company started developing its own line of batteries and regularly purchases exclusive batteries.