Georgia town of 157 lands $671M Energy Department loan for manufacturer

A possible $671 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy is drawing attention to a small Georgia town with a population of 157.

The Energy Department is giving conditional approval to Aspen Aerogels Georgia for a new manufacturing facility in Register. The company will make aerogel thermal barriers, which are protective layers for electric vehicle batteries, the department said.

The plant will initially create 550 construction jobs and add 225 permanent, full-time jobs, the Energy Department said in its announcement.

The project will boost the Biden administration's goals for electric vehicle adoption.

"Operating at full capacity, the Georgia factory is expected to supply thermal barriers for over 2 million vehicle batteries annually," the department said in its announcement. "The incremental fuel savings is equivalent to removing over 5,000 internal combustion engine vehicles from the road each year and enables a reduction of over 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. The facility would significantly expand EV thermal barrier manufacturing capacity in North America, helping to reinforce the domestic EV supply chain while delivering new economic opportunities for workers in Georgia."

The loan would be part of the Advances Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program, which supports manufacturing of "advanced advanced technology vehicles, qualifying components, and materials that improve fuel economy," the energy department said.

Aspen currently has multi-year contracts with General Motors, Toyota, Scania, Automotive Cells Company and Audi.

Register is located in the southeastern corner of Georgia. The addition of the manufacturing plant is part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which targets what the administration defines as disadvantaged communities, according to the Department of Energy.

"The Aspen Aerogels facility will be located in a disadvantaged community, as identified by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool," the announcement said. "The community faces one of the highest rates of expected agricultural losses and of barriers to transportation in the country. Aspen is seeking to work with local and federal partners on public electric transportation solutions to help its employees commute to the facility."

The loan is contingent on the department and the company meeting certain conditions, according to the announcement.