A new battery manufacturing plant is set to open at the Kingsboro megasite in Edgecombe County. Natron Energy, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, plans to invest $1.4 billion in the operation, which is expected to create up to 1,000 new jobs nine miles east of downtown Rocky Mount.

The site will produce sodium-ion carbide batteries, an alternative to lithium-ion technology. They are designed for medium—and low-speed electric vehicles, such as bicycles, and are viable options for large-scale energy storage solutions. Sodium is a much more available element than lithium.

Natron is likely to receive more than $50 million in state and local grants.

Natron Energy opened the first U.S. sodium-ion battery plant at its Michigan headquarters earlier this year. Natron claims sodium-ion solutions outperform, are significantly safer, and are far more sustainable than lithium-ion options.