When Gov. Brian Kemp announced on July 20 that Camden, S.C.-based copper foil manufacturer Denkai America would be opening a facility in Augusta, the news came abruptly, just a month after the groundbreaking of the Aurubis copper smelting plant.
“The deal was struck the day it was announced,” said Augusta Economic Development Authority president Cal Wray, who also notes that though the agreement to bring the new plant to Augusta was finalized the same day, it came after six months of negotiations.
Denkai America, the U.S. subsidiary of Nippon Denkai, Ltd., headquartered in Japan, produces electrodeposited copper foils used for printed circuit boards, as well as for energy storage and industrial applications.
The Richmond County facility, which is also slated to be Denkai’s new North American headquarters, will specialize in battery foil for electric vehicles, or EV.
“It fits the EV industry piece,” said Wray, stressing Georgia’s aim to be a prime location of electric vehicle and original equipment manufacturers. In May, Hyundai Motor Group announced its plans to build its first U.S. electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in Bryan County, Georgia. EV manufacturer Rivian announced its project to a plant east of Atlanta. Both facilities are investments of approximately $5 billion each.
Denkai reached out to Richmond County and the Development Authority amid surveying several states for potential sites. The initial investment for its new manufacturing plant is $150 million, with an aim towards spending some $450 million overall in establishing its presence in Augusta, complete with 250 jobs over five years.
According to concept plans prepared by Cranston Engineering, the copper foil plant will be built along 114 acres (including a five-acre solar farm) in Augusta Corporate Park. It will be property neighbors on Valencia Way with the Aurubis plant.
“They do a copper foil, and Aurubis is a copper recycling operation, so they kind of fit there and Aurubis helped in the recruitment of the company,” said Wray. “It fits the automotive piece and fits the EV battery piece. So it just had a lot of synergies with what we’re already working on here in Augusta.”
According to the press release containing Kemp’s announcement, construction of the Denkai America copper production facility is to begin in September. Plans have yet to be submitted to the Richmond County Planning Department, but Wray also expects that the company will break ground in September or October, after about 40 days of the permitting process through the county.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
