This story is part of an ongoing series, Powering Change: Panasonic and De Soto. If you'd like to share your excitement or concerns about the electric vehicle battery plant, you can do so here.
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A milestone for Kansas has arrived as Panasonic is set to hold a grand opening ceremony Monday, July 14, for its electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto, marking the largest investment in the state's history.
The $4 billion facility transformed the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant site, which had sat empty — since 1992 — until Panasonic selected it for development a few years ago.
"Panasonic Energy plans to build the largest EV battery manufacturing facilities of its kind in De Soto, Kansas," Gov. Laura Kelly announced in July 2022 when the project was first revealed.
The massive project promised to bring 4,000 jobs to a town with a population of roughly 6,500.
"It's taking jobs, a job center that had provided jobs to this area for a long time, gone away, and it's bringing them back," said De Soto Mayor Rick Walker.
Kansas committed $829 million in state tax incentives to secure the project, along with local tax breaks, land cleanup and new roads.
"It takes money to make money," Kelly said at the 2022 announcement.
Later in the year, she added, "You're gonna see a $2.5 billion impact to the Kansas economy every year that's going to happen. So yes, it was a great investment."
Over the past three years, thousands have helped build the plant, and local businesses have already felt the impact.
"As soon as they started with the Panasonic plant, we saw a huge influx in our lunchtime business," said Scott Hill, owner of JT's Grill in De Soto.
With growth comes change, and not all residents are embracing it the same way.
"I think town is really growing too fast," said Chrissy Behee, a lifelong De Soto resident.
Another resident, Mark Snider, expressed similar concerns.
"It's going to change the lifestyle here, though," he said.
Despite these reservations, leaders from Panasonic, Kansas and De Soto believe the plant powers more than just batteries.
"We will have resources to allow us to offer benefits to our community, amenities to the community that otherwise we would, as a small town of 6,000, have never been able to provide," Mayor Walker said.
Hours before the start of the grand opening ceremony, folks on site representing the facility confirmed to KSHB 41 that production started last week at the plant.
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KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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