Chinese battery maker to invest $2 billion in Illinois

A Chinese battery maker picked Illinois for a $2 billion gigafactory that's set to start production next year. Gotion High-tech Co's facility will create 2,600 jobs and is the "most significant new manufacturing investment in Illinois in decades," Governor J B Pritzker said in a statement on Friday.

The plant, focusing on lithium-ion battery cell, battery-pack production and energy storage systems, received state incentives valued at $536 million. Illinois has been trying to position itself as a hub for new technologies from quantum computing to life sciences and electric vehicle manufacturing.

The state has recently created a task force, known as Innovate Illinois, aimed at luring federal dollars, including from the Inflation Reduction Act.