Panasonic Energy of North America (PENA), a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, today announced plans to expand in Northern Nevada with a new campus in Reno that is anticipated to open spring 2022.

The 94,483 sq. ft. existing building at 645 East Plumb Lane managed by Industrial Realty Group, LLC (IRG) in Reno is being renovated to become PENA’s division headquarters and will feature state-of the-art engineering labs, employee recruitment and training facilities, and other support functions.
“Our new facility in Reno underscores our commitment to evolving and growing to stay at the forefront of the mobility market,” said Allan Swan, president, PENA. “Investing in innovation and workforce initiatives in the local community supports our mission of creating a future powered by sustainable energy.”

The announcement comes seven years after Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation announced PENA would produce lithium-ion batteries at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada.

While operations at Gigafactory will continue, PENA intends to take advantage of the Reno location to expand local engineering capacity and talent acquisition and upskilling, further propelling its position in the electric vehicle market.
“Panasonic has been a phenomenal member of the community and I’m thrilled they continue to drive growth in the area,” said Reno City Council member Oscar Delgado. “I share Panasonic’s commitment to contributing to society and look forward to partnering with Panasonic in the years to come to make a positive impact in Reno.”

PENA, the division of Panasonic which produces lithium-ion batteries at the Sparks Gigafactory, will move into an existing building at 645 E. Plumb Lane, about half a mile east of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. PENA's headquarters will move from the Gigafactory to the Plumb Lane campus.
The three-story building, originally built in 1964, will be renovated to include engineering labs, employee recruitment and training facilities in addition to serving as the company headquarters.

Panasonic cited the expansion of the electric vehicle market as the catalyst for PENA's expansion plans. Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced plans for a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations as part of the $1 trillion infrastructure plan signed into law in November.
In September 2020, Panasonic announced that it would increase operations at Gigafactory Nevada, preparing for a massive ramp that would expand the company’s presence at the plant. We’re excited to continue our investment in the Northern Nevada community and our people here,” Carl Walton, Vice President of Production Engineering and Facilities for PENA, stated.

Panasonic reported in its Q3 2021 Earnings Call that it had expanded global capacity for EV battery manufacturing to 50 GWh. Panasonic builds around 37 GWh of 2170-cylindrical cells at Gigafactory Nevada alone.

Gigawatt hours, abbreviated as GWh, is a unit of energy representing one billion (1 000 000 000) watt hours and is equivalent to one million kilowatt hours. Gigawatt hours are often used as a measure of the output of large electricity power stations. One gigawatt is enough energy to power about 750,000 homes.