Dongwha Electrolyte brings $70 million investment, jobs to Clarksville

Kenya Anderson, Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
·2 min read

South Korean company Dongwha Electrolyte USA Inc. launched its foothold in Clarksville as a producer of electric vehicle lithium batteries, the first in the county.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden and Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts were joined by Tennessee Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, Dongwha Electrolyte vice chairman Jiscoo Seung and Dongwha Electrolyte CEO Lee Si-joon gathered in Clarksville Tuesday afternoon for the groundbreaking ceremony of Dongwha Electrolyte.

Dongwha Electrolyte specializes in making electrolytes for batteries.

“We are enthusiastic to participate in this journey of achieving 50-percent of electric vehicle shares by 2030 together with our customers in North America," SiJoon Lee, group CEO of Dongwha Electrolyte USA Inc. said. "The 80,000 tons of electrolyte capacity will provide the best electrochemical technologies into the market to achieve this goal. We appreciate the strong support from the State of Tennessee and Montgomery County to realize this investment.”

The plant in Clarksville, located at Guthrie Highway, will help the company provide electric vehicle lithium battery producers across the Southeast and is the first in the United States.

Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden at the Dongwha Electrolytes groundbreaking ceremony in Clarksville, Tennessee on June 6, 2023.
Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden at the Dongwha Electrolytes groundbreaking ceremony in Clarksville, Tennessee on June 6, 2023.

“Of all the locations Dongwha Electrolytes had to choose from for their first U.S. manufacturing plant, they chose Montgomery County’s Industrial Park," said Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden. "At a meeting prior to the groundbreaking, I asked them why they chose us. They responded that it was the spirit of cooperation and teamwork between the county, city and economic development council that won them over. This truly is the best place to live best place to live, work, worship, and raise a family.”

Dongwha Electrolyte is expected to invest more than $70 million and create 68 new jobs in Montgomery County.

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts at the Dongwha Electrolytes groundbreaking ceremony in Clarksville, Tennessee on June 6, 2023.
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts at the Dongwha Electrolytes groundbreaking ceremony in Clarksville, Tennessee on June 6, 2023.

“We welcome Dongwha Electrolyte as the newest member of our manufacturing community. Our area is becoming a hub for the Electric Vehicle equipment industry. More than 60 jobs, paying a high wage will help our citizens take care of their families. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with this company and know they will be very successful here," said Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts.

Dongwha Electrolyte joins the growing list of businesses that have decided to come to Montgomery County. In 2021, Microvast announced that were coming and last February, construction for an Amazon destruction center began.

Reporter Kenya Anderson can be reached at kanderson@nashvill.gannett.com or on Twitter at KenyaAnderson32.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Dongwha Electrolyte brings $70 million investment, jobs to Clarksville