Zinc8 Energy Solutions, a battery manufacturer headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, is establishing U.S. headquarters to Kingston, NY, at the former Tech City, IBM Ulster campus, now known as iPark 87 business park.
The company had signed a letter of intent to come to iPark 87 last August and negotiations had been continuing. A formal announcement was made at a Jan. 26 event at iPark attended by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and numerous other local, county and state officials.
The company plans to invest $68 million over five years in the new facility. Zinc8 will be the anchor tenant and lease approximately 237,000 square feet of warehouse and outdoor space at iPark 87, which is owned by Greenwich-based National Resources. The state’s Empire State Development has agreed to provide up to $9 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits. The property at one time was an IBM facility. After IBM moved out, an effort by the owner at the time to redevelop the site rebranded as TechCity failed.
The company’s batteries use patented zinc-air battery technology. The company explains that zinc particles the size of gains of sand are used to store energy. When the system is delivering power, the zinc particles are combined with oxygen drawn from the surrounding air. When the system is recharging, zinc particles are regenerated, and oxygen is returned to the surrounding air. The company’s The Zinc8 ESS is an energy storage system designed to deliver electricity in the range of 20,000 watts to 50 million watts with a capacity of eight hours of storage duration or longer.
“Creating good jobs that will lead to a greener, more sustainable New York for our children and grandchildren is not only beneficial to our economy, it’s the right thing to do for our planet,” Hochul said. “Zinc8’s cutting edge, clean energy storage technology is another tool that will allow us to achieve our bold climate agenda and continue to make New York state a leader in advancing the green economy.”
Joseph Cotter, co-founder of National Resources, said, the commitment by Zinc8 represents “an opportunity to totally transform this former IBM campus into a vibrant new community that is focused on innovation, sustainability and future living for Ulster County.”
According to Ron MacDonald, president, CEO, and director of Zinc8 Energy Solutions,”The historic measures taken by New York State to reach ambitious carbon neutrality goals are driving clean energy innovation and Zinc8 is committed to being an integral part of New York’s green economy.”
Hochul used the event as an opportunity to push for local governments to approve construction of more housing.
“Businesses have rediscovered New York as a place of innovation and energy and creative people second to none. They want to be here, especially in places like Ulster County,” Hochul said. “But if we don’t create the housing, all levels of housing, then where are they going to go? How is Ron going to find homes for 500 new people and their families? To my local partners in government, I spent 14 years on a town board. I was liaison to the planning board, the zoning board, the traffic safety board. I know what goes into projects. I know how easy it is to say no. I also know the importance of saying yes. If we don’t grow our communities, then people like Ron will go somewhere else.”