Form Energy celebrates beginning of construction

May 27, 2023

SIGNING THE BEAM – U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin sign a beam as part of the ceremonial groundbreaking for Form Energy’s Form Factory 1 in Weirton Friday. Also pictured are, Dot Gilliam, a Weirton native who works as an equipment technician at Form Energy’s facility in Eighty Four, Pa., and company President Ted Wiley. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — Officials with Form Energy turned another page in writing their story Friday holding a ceremonial groundbreaking in Weirton for its planned Form Factory 1, inviting community guests, investors and partners to take part in the celebration.

To be constructed on property once home to Weirton Steel’s open hearth, Form Factory 1 promises the creation of 750 jobs for the manufacture of a new iron-air battery capable of providing 100 hours of energy.

“When it comes to prayer, in the end there’s really only two types; help me, help me, help me, help me, and thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Form Energy co-founder and CEO Mateo Jaramillo said, explaining those prayers are a reminder that no one walks alone. “We are here today, because we are here today, together.”

The effort to create Form Energy began about six years ago, with five co-founders, with Jaramillo noting that effort has grown to 500 colleagues.

“They are amazingly talented, and we have worked incredibly hard developing our product, building our market, to be here today,” he said, also thanking the company’s investors, customers and suppliers, as well as their families and the communities of which they have become a part.

“They all come together to put us in the position to build this factory today,” he said.

Jaramillo also offered his thanks to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Gov. Jim Justice, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, West Virginia Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael, state Sen. Ryan Weld, Del. Mark Zatezalo, legislative leaders, and elected officials from the City of Weirton and Hancock County

Granholm was among the guests taking part in Friday’s festivities.

She referred to a conversation with Ward 1 Councilman Tim Connell, whose family worked in the local steel mills for multiple generations, and now is among those who get to witness a revitalization in the community.

“It is so moving to be here and be a part of that,” she said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Granholm also recalled a meeting in Charleston one year ago where discussions were held about the possibility of future development in the energy sectors to benefit West Virginia. Those meetings, she said, included Ted Wiley, Form Energy’s president and chief operating officer, as the company was scouting locations for its first full-scale manufacturing facility.

“Could they have picked a better location here, Form Energy, on the banks of the Ohio River, in a community that was born with a backbone in steel and now it’s ready to forge its future in iron,” she said. “This is a huge win for Weirton, for West Virginia, for America.”

Manchin looked back on his many visits to the Weirton area, over the years, which started with campaign visits with his uncle, A. James Manchin, and have lasted throughout his own career.

“We’re going to do the right thing here,” Manchin said of the partnerships which have led to the construction of Form Factory 1. “This has been a wonderful group to work with, and it’s not political. It’s not Democrat or Republican, it’s about West Virginia.”

He celebrated the people of Weirton, the miners and steelworkers, who have given of themselves, over the generations, for the benefit of the state and the nation, and he sees that opportunity returning with Form Energy.

“We have done the heavy lifting, and we have mined the coal that made the steel that built the guns and ships that built the factories that built the industrial might,” he noted. “We’ve done it all. This little state has given everything she’s got for the country you live in today. I am so proud to be a West Virginian.”

Carmichael, too, looked back at those who previously worked on the site, saying, as Memorial Day Weekend begins, it was the perfect opportunity to remember their contributions.

“This is the perfect day to break ground on this facility,” Carmichael said, adding the people and products of Form Energy will help to make a difference in the nation.

According to a timeline from the company, the installation of the steel structure for the manufacturing facility will begin in July, with utilities construction in September. Operations are scheduled to begin in mid to late 2024, with an expansion planned in early 2025.

(Howell can be contacted at [email protected], and followed via Twitter @CHowellWDT)

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