Form Factory 1 ready to begin trial production in Weirton
WEIRTON — Trial production is ready to get under way at Form Factory 1.
Form Energy, which has been constructing its first high-volume iron-air battery production facility in Weirton for the last year, welcomed invited guests and dignitaries Thursday to celebrate the completion of construction and the start of trial production.
“I’m looking out across a sea of people. Every single person that’s in the room today, you are here because you played an important role in helping us reach this moment, right now,” said. Ted Wiley, chief operating officer and co-founder. “It’s a group of people who believed in us when it counted, and, for that, I thank you.”
Wiley recalled being tasked a few years ago with locating a site for the factory, noting they were looking for a place with access to river and rail transportation, as well as nearby highways and airports, top universities and a skilled workforce.
The company screened more than 500 sites in 16 states, visiting more than 20 locations before selecting Weirton.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter, not just for Form, but for the great community of Weirton,” Wiley said. “Weirton has this proud legacy of building, of creating things that matter from iron and steel. People rightly say that the foundations layed here helped shape our nation. Yes, the place, but also the people, and even then I could clearly see the strength, and the commitment and the pride of this community are unmatched and exactly what we at Form needed as partners to mass produce batteries the size of football fields to help secure our nation’s energy grid.”
The project represents an investment of $760 million, with a mixture of public and private funds, with the goal of creating 750 jobs.
Mateo Jaramillo, co-founder and chief executive officer, noted the company broke ground May 26, 2023, explaining he has heard doubts from many, including from investors and other supporters, as to how quickly the factory could be completed. He and the Form team, he said, used that as motivation.
“We’re aiming extremely high for our company and the impact that we intend to have. Excellence is a core feature of what we aim for at Form Energy. That means delivering not just on the product, not just on the timline, not just for the community, but exceeding all those expectations as we move ahead. We want to show what’s possible for an old steel mill site, and we want to show what’s possible for a new West Virginia, and we want to show what’s possible for a new economy.”
Within the 800,000-square-foot plant, iron-air batteries, providing energy through the rusting and unrusting of iron, will be produced and shipped to customers across the nation. Designed to store approximately 100 hours of energy, the company has received interest from several utility providers even before the product is available.
One of those groups is Xcel Energy, whose president, Robert Frenzel, was in attendance Thursday. Frenzel admitted to being one of those doubters of the timetable Form set to have Form Factory 1 complete.
“Holy cow. I have never had to eat crow in front of so many people,” Frenzel said, referring to the estimated 900 guests in attendance. “This place is going to succeed.”
Frenzel noted Xcel Energy expects to purchase half of Form Energy’s product output in 2025.
State Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, noted he initially couldn’t believe the possibilities brought by Form Energy, but became a believer as he met with company officials and saw the progress of construction on Form Factory 1.
“I knew I had a responsibility to not get my hopes or my expectations too high,” Weld said. “I believe the worst thing an elected official can do is set their constituents up for another disappointment or another opportunity that doesn’t become a reality.”
He said construction of the facility brought hope and excitement where uncertainty and skepticism has been for years. Weld noted he had presented Jaramillo with his grandfather’s Weirton Steel mill badge in December 2022 as a sign of faith, adding he knows the Form Energy team will carry on the legacy of the steel mill.
Paraphrasing from an address by President John F. Kennedy in Charleston on June 21, 1963, Weld looked to the future of what Form Energy will be able to do with its batteries, for West Virginia and the rest of the nation.
“While the sun doesn’t always shine, West Virginia batteries will make sure the lights always do,” Weld said.
Gov. Jim Justice, along with his canine companion, Babydog, also was among the guests Thursday, reflecting on the contributions of Weirton to the nation, and the difficulties faced by the community through the steel industry’s downfall, but also pointing to the strength of the people.
“We’re celebrating you. We’re celebrating our future,” Justice said.
He spoke of the importance of all energy opportunities – whether through the batteries produced by Form, or the traditional coal and natural gas known in West Virginia.
“Energy absolutely is the bottom line,” Justice said. “Civilization will not progress, it will not, unless you have abundant, cheap and now clean energy. That’s all there is to it.”
Weirton City Manager Mike Adams also was on hand, offering thanks on behalf of the community to Form Energy.
“They took a place that looked rusty and dusty to everybody else. They looked through all of that, and found the inherent value of the people who live here and the people who work here,” Adams said, presenting Jaramillo with a plaque featuring news coverage from The Weirton Daily Times of the signing of legislation providing state funding for the project in February 2023.
Thursday’s event featured limited tours of the production floor, along with an opportunity to view pictures from the history of Weirton and the Form Energy project, a timeline of Weirton Steel history and information about the company’s batteries.