Click the arrows at the top corner of this photo to go through the whole photo gallery.
Panasonic officials gave a glimpse Thursday as to how construction of the $4 billion battery plant is progressing a year after its groundbreaking.
Construction is moving on time for an opening in the first quarter of 2025, construction manager Damon Dickson told members of the media during a tour of the construction site.
Wing 1 of the plant will open first while the second wing is still under construction, said Innocent Chikunya, vice president of operations.
About 750 to 800 construction employees are working on the 300-acre site each day, a number that will ramp up to 3,500 at this time next year when work moves to the interior and production line installations, Dickson said.
Between 100 and 124 truckloads of steel arrive per week, with only some supply chain issues with items like transformers, he said.
The plant will have eight entrances into the site and additional parking as part of lessons learned after the opening of another Panasonic plant in Nevada in 2016, Dickson said.
Evergy is also installing a substation nearby to support the plant, he said.
Panasonic is negotiating with Evergy for the plant’s rates, but is committed to paying its fair share, Chikunya said. Recent Evergy rate increases were not related to the plant coming to the area, he said.
Panasonic is committed to reaching net-zero by 2028 by working with local partners to promote renewable energy development in Kansas.
Panasonic has hired all of its senior leadership for the local plant and is working with area universities to learn about their curriculum and find out how Panasonic can attract talent, said Kristen Walters, vice president of human resources.
They plan to ramp up recruiting in January and February, she said.
Click the arrows above to see the gallery of multiple photos from the tour.
What questions do you have as the Panasonic plant moves closer to completion? Email us at [email protected].