Kansas City, MO – Panasonic has picked Kansas - specifically De Soto in Johnson County - as the site of a new $4 billion electric car battery mega-factory, according to Gov. Laura Kelly and company representatives.
The company was lured to Kansas by taxpayer-funded incentives worth $829 million over 10 years. That's the largest package of incentives the state has offered a private business, and it was made possible by a law enacted only five months before.
Panasonic plans to hire 4,000 workers, and the investment could create an additional 4,000 jobs. This puts Kansas in the center of one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, reports KMBC-9 News.
"We will be the production epicenter for batteries that will power the increasing demand for EVs and a more sustainable world," Kelly said.
The plant will be located at the site of the old Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant.
"Economic development is about people. Young people shouldn't have to leave our state after graduation for better economic opportunities in Dallas or Denver or Nashville," said KS Lt. Gov. David Toland.
Panasonic said it will pay an average of $50,000 a year per worker. That average is about $18,000 more than the median income for an individual in Kansas. It's a big win after record investments landed by state leaders.
"The most business investment per capita of any state in the nation. We're No. 1," Kelly said.
Panasonic was reportedly looking to build in either Oklahoma or Kansas; somewhere close to Texas where Tesla is building an electric-vehicle plant. The two companies jointly operate a battery plant in Nevada.