SCHUMER, IN PERSONAL CALL WITH CEO, URGES ZINC8 TO MAKE ULSTER’S IPARK87, FORMER TECHCITY CAMPUS, FUTURE HOME OF NEW HUB, BRINGING UP TO 500 CLEAN-ENERGY JOBS TO ULSTER; SENATOR SAYS HISTORIC FEDERAL BATTERY DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES HE PASSED IN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW WILL SUPERCHARGE COMPANIES TO INVEST IN NY & POWER THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE; SCHUMER IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH NATIONAL RESOURCES, THE OWNER OF IPARK87 TO BRING HIGH-QUALITY JOBS AND INVESTMENTS TO THE HUDSON VALLEY
Zinc8 Is Considering Ulster As Site Of Their New Manufacturing Facility; Schumer Says Former IBM TechCity Site, Now Called iPark87, That He Fought Hard To Get Cleaned Up, Is Primed For Investment
After Securing Billions To Implement Federal Battery Manufacturing And R&D Incentives To Boost Companies’ Cutting-Edge Tech In NY, Senator Pushes To Land Zinc8 And Cement NY’s Leadership As Emerging Global Battery Hub
Schumer To Zinc8: Picking Ulster County Will Be A Win-Win-Win: Revitalizing iPark87, Creating Clean-Energy Jobs, And Supercharging Fight Against Climate Change
Following his successful push to have the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cleanup the former TechCity campus in the Town of Ulster, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer personally called Ron MacDonald, CEO of Zinc8 a cutting-edge battery and energy-storage technologies company, to urge them to expand their operations in Ulster and bring hundreds of clean-energy jobs to the Hudson Valley.
Schumer made clear that Ulster’s former TechCity campus, now known as iPark 87, has all the right ingredients to become the home to their next major facility, and said that the historic $6 billion in federal incentives he passed in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to expand U.S.-based battery technologies can help supercharge Zinc8’s future in New York.
“Zinc8’s interest in expanding hundreds of new jobs into the Hudson Valley at Ulster County’s former TechCity site, now called iPark87, would be a win-win-win. A once-contaminated asbestos dumping ground can be revitalized and once again be the beating heart of Ulster County’s economy, all while powering a cleaner, brighter future, fighting climate change, and creating hundreds of good-paying jobs,” said Senator Schumer. “I made it clear to Zinc8 CEO, Ron MacDonald, that I stand ready to help their potential expansion in the Hudson Valley in any way, including fighting to secure the historic federal battery research & development incentives I passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law. Zinc8’s investment in the Hudson Valley would further power New York’s leadership as a global battery manufacturing hub.”
Schumer explained that Zinc8 specializes in flow battery technology that relies on regenerating zinc particles to store and dispatch energy and has recently sought to expand its efforts towards commercialization. The senator explained that Zinc8 is now potentially looking at New York to scale its production with a multi-million dollar investment that would supercharge efforts to revitalize Ulster County’s former economic hub while putting the Hudson Valley and the broader Upstate New York region on the map as a global leader in clean-energy technology. Schumer said that batteries and energy storage are integral to everyday life, helping to power everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles, but unfortunately, much of the manufacturing of this critical technology has been offshored, leaving the country vulnerable to supply chain disruptions that can raise costs for working families and jeopardize U.S. jobs and national security. Schumer explained that expanding domestic manufacturing of battery technology, like he urged Zinc8 to do in Ulster, is integral to America’s future.
“We thank Senator Schumer for his tireless work in getting the former TechCity campus cleaned up and returned to its status as the economic hub of Ulster County. As we work to attract new businesses to the site, Senator Schumer has been an invaluable resource to us and we are thrilled about the prospect of Zinc8 bringing up to 500 new jobs to the region as a cutting edge company at the forefront of our clean energy future,” said Mike Oates President and CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation.
“From day one, Senator Schumer has been with us at the forefront of revitalizing the former IBM campus, returning it to its rightful place as the beating heart of our reenergized and revamped Ulster County economy,” County Executive Pat Ryan said. “Thanks to our longtime partnership with Senator Schumer and his fierce advocacy in working with us, EPA and National Resources to clean up this campus, iPark87 can now be a home to Zinc8 and other companies. We are excited about the opportunity to bring over 500 clean energy jobs to our area and expect thousands more to come as a result of our work.”
Schumer has a long history fighting to revitalize the former TechCity campus. In July of 2021, Schumer personally visited the asbestos-contaminated TechCity site, calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fully clean up and restore Ulster County’s former economic engine, once the 30-year home of IBM. Following his visit, Natural Resources bought the property from the former owner. This month, after Schumer’s advocacy, the firm reached an agreement with EPA to remove the asbestos piles, green lighting the site for thousands of new potential jobs and businesses to come to the campus.
Schumer explained that one of these potential businesses is Zinc8, which produces battery technology using zinc and air as fuel. Schumer said that this unique zinc-air energy storage system has the goal of introducing a certified commercial product in 2023 and that this cutting-edge battery technology aligns perfectly with his work to expand battery storage capabilities in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Specifically, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set aside $6 billion for federal incentives meant to expand capabilities of U.S.-based battery research and development, bolster domestic battery production, and shore up the American supply chain in an industry often reliant on foreign sources. This push also runs concurrent with other efforts Senator Schumer has led across New York to bolster battery manufacturing, including securing Binghamton University’s New Energy NY Proposal’s spot as a finalist in the EDA Regional Challenge for tens of millions in federal investment to create a battery research and manufacturing hub in the Southern Tier and broader Upstate New York region. Schumer, Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger, and Dr. Stan Whittingham, the 2019 winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on the development of lithium ion batteries, recently penned a joint op-ed on the importance of bolstering battery technology for America’s future.
In April, Zinc8 was named a "Best-in-Class" solution in the Energy Storage Category for the Real Estate Board of New York's ("REBNY") 2022 PropTech Challenge.
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