Starting in 2012, Aquion will be leasing space within a large existing facility in East Huntingdon Township from the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania (RIDC)

PITTSBURGH--Aquion Energy Inc., a developer and manufacturer of revolutionary sodium ion batteries and energy storage systems, today announced it has chosen Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania as the site for its first full-scale manufacturing facility.

"After considering all of our options, including aggressive offers from a number of other U.S. states, we concluded that southwestern Pennsylvania is the best location for Aquion to establish its first high-volume manufacturing operation"

Starting in 2012, Aquion will be leasing space within a large existing facility in East Huntingdon Township from the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania (RIDC). The build-out of the base facility and factory infrastructure will begin immediately and continue throughout 2012. Initial product manufacturing is scheduled to commence in 2013. As part of a first phase manufacturing commitment at this site, Aquion expects to create over 400 high-tech manufacturing jobs by the end of 2015.

"After considering all of our options, including aggressive offers from a number of other U.S. states, we concluded that southwestern Pennsylvania is the best location for Aquion to establish its first high-volume manufacturing operation," said CEO Scott Pearson. "This project would not have been possible without the strong support of Governor Corbett and the Governor's Action Team. We are very excited to be able to significantly increase our presence in Pennsylvania and we applaud the efforts of the state, regional and local economic development agencies that worked closely with Aquion to make this expansion possible."

"What started out as a concept at Carnegie Mellon is now growing into a large scale manufacturing operation that will create hundreds of new jobs in the region," said Governor Tom Corbett. "My administration is committed to making Pennsylvania an economic leader by investing in the growth of companies like Aquion that are on the cutting edge of technology development and creating the next generation of jobs."

Aquion's unique technologies and products have been specifically developed to meet the demanding requirements of both small and large-scale energy storage applications. Aquion products provide compelling results on key performance factors including cycle/calendar life, round trip efficiency, discharge abuse tolerance, capital costs, maintenance costs, and safety. In addition, Aquion batteries are inherently green and contain no hazardous materials, corrosive acids or noxious fumes.

Aquion has been supported to date with funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Foundation Capital, Advanced Technology Ventures, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Aquion was assisted in its factory site selection process by Greenville, SC based consultants McCallum Sweeney.

About Aquion Energy

Aquion Energy, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based company that is designing and manufacturing a revolutionary type of battery based on the research of Carnegie Mellon University Professor Jay Whitacre. The company has developed a novel, sodium-ion, aqueous electrolyte battery that will enhance the electrical grid by providing flexible, emissions-free capacity that optimizes existing generation assets and enables broad adoption of renewable energy technologies. Aquion's battery system will also address a myriad of other energy storage application challenges. Beyond minimized cell and system costs and dramatic performance enhancements over incumbent technologies, the company is building batteries that are safe, environmentally benign and long lasting. For more information please see http://www.aquionenergy.com.