Ithaca, NY - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) joined Primet Precision Materials officials to make a major announcement detailing an $8 million federal investment he's secured for the company, a high-tech battery company in Ithaca, to advance its technology and form a unique partnership with Applied Materials, a major semiconductor company, as well as Cornell University and Binghamton University, two well-established research universities with expertise in this field. The investments will create more than 12 research related jobs and could generate hundreds of manufacturing jobs in the future. Hinchey made the announcement at Primet Precision Materials' headquarters in Ithaca.

"At a time when the vast majority of energy storage devices used by our military men and women are manufactured abroad in countries like China and South Korea, it is imperative that we invest in an advanced battery manufacturing operation here at home," Hinchey said. "Primet, Applied Materials and their research partners have the capacity to revolutionize the domestic battery industry, adding much-needed security to our military operations and, over time, creating hundreds of new high tech jobs here in our community."

Of the funding Hinchey secured, $3 million will enable Primet to further develop an advanced composite nickel-manganese-cobalt and other lithium ion battery technologies for the U.S. military to use. The batteries will provide the U.S. military with energy sources that are smaller, lighter, safer, and longer-lasting than any lithium batteries available on the market today, greatly extending duty cycle and survivability for applications ranging from handheld devices to unmanned aerial vehicles. Primet will partner with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory located in Adelphi, Maryland.

The remaining $5 million will be used for the advanced battery consortium that Hinchey is helping to form and will enable Primet and Applied Materials, the global leader in nanomanufacturing technology, to work together on developing advanced batteries that can, among other applications, more efficiently and effectively store energy generated through solar technology. The companies will work with Cornell University and Binghamton University to overcome technical challenges in order to develop products that can be commercialized. The consortium will partner with the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) located in Fort Monmouth, N.J. and work collaboratively with New York's Battery and Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Consortium organized through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

"New York is quickly becoming a national leader in the renewable energy and battery industries," Hinchey said. "Working with The Solar Energy Consortium and NYSERDA, this new advanced battery consortium will further solidify New York's position on the forefront of these new technologies. Not only will we continue to develop better technologies for military and commercial applications, but we will be creating a new and sustainable industry to support upstate New York's economic revitalization."

Primet CEO Larry Thomas, Primet employees, and local elected and economic development officials will be on hand for the announcement with Hinchey.