During Tuesday morning’s Christian County Fiscal Court session, Ascend Elements Plant Manager Mark Fern made it abundantly clear.
Though timelines have changed on construction, on-boarding staff and starting production of precursor CAM chemicals for electric batteries, the company remains “fully committed” to its arrival in Hopkinsville, and its properties along Commerce Park II.
However, Fern confirmed there have been some delays.
From a scheduling standpoint, Fern said Ascend Elements was originally operating on an “accelerated plan,” where designing the building and constructing the building were “happening at the same time.”
This, of course, incurred considerable costs in overtime and other major capabilities.
The timeline, now, is resumed construction in third quarter of 2025, and completed construction of the first 500,000 square feet by second- or third-quarter 2026.
Asked if he could comment on the pending lawsuit, Fern offered a little clarity and background on the matter.
Fern also assured to Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam that conversations remain strong with Cinis Fertilizers, which will be using byproducts of Ascend Elements for its own future use.
In fact, Fern said they have already been in contact about the updated timeline, and the two companies visited each other in Christian County two weeks ago.
Furthermore, Fern noted that a ramp-up plan remains very much in play.
This precursor material, just part of an electric battery, will be sent through the supply chain to other gigaplants — and Fern said one of the key materials in the process is nickel.
Multiple reports have previously stated that CAM and pCAM orders from major automobile manufacturers were delayed between 9-to-12 months just before the new year.
