{"id":280936,"date":"2023-09-28T16:24:06","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T14:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=280936"},"modified":"2023-09-28T16:24:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T14:24:23","slug":"ev-battery-factory-will-require-so-much-energy-it-needs-a-coal-plant-to-power-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=280936","title":{"rendered":"EV Battery Factory Will Require So Much Energy It Needs A Coal Plant To Power\u00a0It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Panasonic Breaks Ground On EV Battery Factory In Kansas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Homewood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

h\/t Dave Ward<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A $4 billion Panasonic electric vehicle battery factory in De Soto, Kansas, will help satisfy the Biden administration\u2019s efforts to get everyone into an EV.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also will help extend the life of a coal-fired power plant.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panasonic broke ground on the facility last year. The Japanese company was slated to receive $6.8 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act, which has been pouring billions into electric vehicles and battery factories as part of its effort to transition America away from fossil fuels.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kansas City Star <\/em>reports<\/em><\/u><\/a> that the factory will require between 200 and 250 megawatts of electricity to operate. That\u2019s roughly the amount of power needed for a small city.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In testimony to the Kansas City Corporation Commission, which is the state\u2019s equivalent of the Wyoming Public Service Commission, a representative of Evergy, the utility serving the factory, said that the 4 million-square-foot Panasonic facility creates \u201cnear term challenges from a resource adequacy perspective,\u201d according to the newspaper.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the utility will continue to burn coal at a power plant near Lawrence, Kansas, and it will delay plants to transition units at the plant to natural gas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And environmentalists are not happy about that.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation reflects an ignored fact about EVs \u2014 they require enormous amounts of energy to produce.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 15-pound lithium-ion battery holds about the same amount of energy as a pound of oil. To make that battery requires 7,000 pounds of rock and dirt to get the minerals that go into that battery. The average EV battery weighs around 1,000 pounds.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of that mining and factory processing produces a lot more carbon dioxide emissions than a gas-powered car, so EVs have to be <\/em>driven<\/em><\/u><\/a> around 50,000 to 60,000 miles before there\u2019s a net reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, as more factories are built in the U.S. to supply EV manufacturers, there will be higher demands on the grid for power.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily Arthun, CEO of the American Coal Council, was in Washington, D.C., this week speaking with federal lawmakers and members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arthun, who lives in Gillette, told Cowboy State Daily that there\u2019s a growing recognition of the need for coal to supply baseload power.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI met with senators and representatives who understand that we\u2019re going to need coal for far longer than people are talking about,\u201d Arthun said. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Inflation Reduction Act aims to produce more green energy industries here in America, and Arthun said there\u2019s a growing recognition that these are energy intensive.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are starting to understand that energy needs are increasing, and these premature [coal-fired power plant] closures are a liability,\u201d Arthun said.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Cyrus Western, R-Big Horn, told Cowboy State Daily that many people are unaware of how energy is produced to create a reliable grid.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKilowatts don\u2019t just fall out of the sky,\u201d he said.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the energy demand for the industrial capacity in America, there will be more demands placed on the grid to charge all these vehicles.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat electricity has got to come from somewhere. It\u2019s not going to come from solar farms and wind turbines,\u201d he said.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Western said renewables are a great source of \u201cauxiliary supplemental power,\u201d but without a solid base load to ensure a reliable energy supply, they don\u2019t work. These are realities that some still don\u2019t want to accept.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis administration wants to put lipstick on a pig, but it\u2019s still a pig,\u201d he said.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2023\/09\/22\/ev-battery-factory-will-require-so-much-energy-it-needs-a-coal-plant-to-power-it\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A $4 billion Panasonic electric vehicle battery factory in De Soto, Kansas, will help satisfy the Biden administration\u2019s efforts to get everyone into an EV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":280940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691823064,691823062,691823061,691823065,691819094,691818864],"class_list":{"0":"post-280936","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-coal-power-plant","9":"tag-ev-battery","10":"tag-ev-battery-factory","11":"tag-panasonic-electric-vehicle-battery-factory","12":"tag-renewable-green-energy","13":"tag-the-biden-administration","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/00panasonic-battery-factory-in-de-soto-kansas-rendering.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1b5e","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":418670,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=418670","url_meta":{"origin":280936,"position":0},"title":"U.S. Automakers Pull Back from Electric Vehicles","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"26\/12\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. automotive market is experiencing a significant shift as companies like Ford, GM, and Stellantis adjust their strategies in response to changing consumer demands and regulatory environments. With electric vehicle (EV) sales slowing down, these manufacturers are scaling back EV production and redirecting investments toward hybrids and gas vehicles","rel":"","context":"In \"Automobile Manufacturers\"","block_context":{"text":"Automobile Manufacturers","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=automobile-manufacturers"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQNfr6xfc8prjQ9iVib6yodGXIxhFinLOehadMWTi4IXW-zWi-6yeQJUdArxq-n8OcFt2JY6_huRU7rWFkuWUYPaIsHQUBTiYkHv_KQVFqpH8WiXayk34hDx8FjhedU2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C524&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQNfr6xfc8prjQ9iVib6yodGXIxhFinLOehadMWTi4IXW-zWi-6yeQJUdArxq-n8OcFt2JY6_huRU7rWFkuWUYPaIsHQUBTiYkHv_KQVFqpH8WiXayk34hDx8FjhedU2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C524&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQNfr6xfc8prjQ9iVib6yodGXIxhFinLOehadMWTi4IXW-zWi-6yeQJUdArxq-n8OcFt2JY6_huRU7rWFkuWUYPaIsHQUBTiYkHv_KQVFqpH8WiXayk34hDx8FjhedU2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C524&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQNfr6xfc8prjQ9iVib6yodGXIxhFinLOehadMWTi4IXW-zWi-6yeQJUdArxq-n8OcFt2JY6_huRU7rWFkuWUYPaIsHQUBTiYkHv_KQVFqpH8WiXayk34hDx8FjhedU2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C524&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AQNfr6xfc8prjQ9iVib6yodGXIxhFinLOehadMWTi4IXW-zWi-6yeQJUdArxq-n8OcFt2JY6_huRU7rWFkuWUYPaIsHQUBTiYkHv_KQVFqpH8WiXayk34hDx8FjhedU2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C524&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":220539,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=220539","url_meta":{"origin":280936,"position":1},"title":"Crunch Time: Demand for Power on Demand Means Wind & Solar Craze All but Over","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"25\/09\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Brits and Germans will tell you what it\u2019s like to receive a power bill that you\u2019ve absolutely no hope of paying.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-1196.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-1196.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-1196.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-1196.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":252690,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=252690","url_meta":{"origin":280936,"position":2},"title":"Biden’s 67% EV policy: a dictatorial attack on the American driver and the US grid","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/04\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Biden's proposed mandate of 67% EVs in the 2030s is a dictatorial attack on the American driver and the US grid that will","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/09f9857d1-967d-4cb9-94ac-e33a3ad2563f_746x441.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/09f9857d1-967d-4cb9-94ac-e33a3ad2563f_746x441.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/09f9857d1-967d-4cb9-94ac-e33a3ad2563f_746x441.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/09f9857d1-967d-4cb9-94ac-e33a3ad2563f_746x441.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":285981,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=285981","url_meta":{"origin":280936,"position":3},"title":"The EV bubble popped: VW orders are down 50%, Ford loses $38,000 on each car, Toyota chief, says \u201cpeople are waking up\u201d","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/11\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Errr, what\u2019s going on here? 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They duplicate the transportation network to inconvenience all.","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden Administration\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden Administration","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-administration"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-448.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-448.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-448.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-448.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":253785,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=253785","url_meta":{"origin":280936,"position":5},"title":"President Biden may have mandated a death spiral for the auto industry","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"20\/04\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Biden is unaware of the poverty of the world\u2019s population. 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