Form Energy has a new factory that manufactures cutting-edge batteries on the former historic Weirton Steel site, a cornerstone of American steel production. Form Factory 1 opened in July 2024 and instead of turning iron into steel, it uses the metal to make an iron-air battery which stores energy for approximately four days—much longer than the four-five hours of storage a lithium-ion battery technology can provide. Four-days’ storage is long enough to cover the typical outage after a major weather event like a hurricane or a wildfire. Although the iron-air battery technology isn’t new—U.S. Department of Energy-funded research on it goes back to the 1970s—Form Energy is the first to commercialize and scale the technology. The battery is too heavy to be used in vehicles or electronics. Now, with the amount of renewable energy on the grid tripling in the last 10 years and the accompanying need for more batteries, the iron-air battery technology fits the bill. The $760 million investment in the plant was secured through a variety of West Virginia state and federal incentives and monies. As of October 2024 the factory employs more than 300 employees and plans to employ at least 750 by 2028 and produce 500 megawatts of batteries per year. In September 2024, Form Energy received a $150 million grant to expand the facility from the U.S. Department of Energy, an investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.