As the demand for domestic lithium-ion battery production grows, U.S. manufacturers face increasing pressure to secure their supply chains and meet federal requirements for domestic sourcing while maintaining performance and cost competitiveness.
The companies Natrion and BridgeGreen Upcycle—both empowered by Koffman Southern Tier Incubator—identified the opportunity to expand their possibilities, all while creating a significant and locally sourced production footprint, job opportunities for New York’s manufacturing workforce, and significant efforts toward building a resilient and sustainable battery supply chain for the U.S.
For Natrion, the battery technology company significantly increased its production capacity to meet growing demand for high-performance, American-made battery components officially by opening its new manufacturing site in Buffalo in early September 2025. Supported by a $1.3 million grant from the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the company’s expansion underscores Natrion’s commitment to advancing domestic battery manufacturing and innovation, and now houses production lines for the company’s proprietary Active Separator: a key technology that enhances battery safety, energy density, lifespan, and fast-charging capabilities. Critically, Natrion’s Active Separator supports domestic American battery builders in qualifying for Section 45X subsidies under new federal legislation while simultaneously diminishing cell manufacturing costs and material intensity.
Heading into 2026, the new Buffalo facility has already achieved 20,000 square meters of monthly capacity throughout with its first commissioned line at the site. At full projected utilization, the new site is expected to supply Active Separator for over 500 MWh of lithium-ion batteries per year—equivalent to approximately 11,000 electric vehicles. The expansion is expected to create 19 new jobs and positions Natrion as a key contributor to New York’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem, and is accelerating its mission to deliver safe, high-performance, and domestically produced battery solutions to meet the nation’s energy transition goals.
For Bridge Green Upcycle, the tech company is redefining battery end-of-life management by returning valuable materials to the circular battery economy. Their technology supports the full recycling ecosystem—from battery health monitoring and second-life innovation to extracting high-grade black mass and precursor materials for new batteries.
To enable this work, Bridge Green is using two wet labs at the Koffman Incubator, each equipped with fume hoods, filtration systems and specialized infrastructure for safe R&D and validation of lithium-ion battery feedstock. When the company first connected with the Southern Tier incubator, it initially operated one wet lab at Koffman, but rapid growth quickly called for even more space for operations including staging, assessment and evaluation, and expanded manufacturing space that could support a larger and more efficient workflow.
Bridge Green looked to expand within Koffman, specifically occupying the facility’s 1,200-square-foot high bay space. This offered the open, versatile, and adaptable area the company needed, with 20-foot ceilings, room for vertical storage, staging and equipment setup, and the customizable square footage suited to their evolving processes, allowing the team to scale their battery evaluation process and create needed efficiencies in processes, transportation of materials, and more. In addition, the facility’s configurable infrastructure supports required safety protocols and employee training for compliant handling of lithium-ion raw materials, and is now able to serve as the central intake hub where batteries are assessed before moving to the wet labs for mineral extraction.
But Bridge Green is not only expanding its physical footprint. It’s building the skilled workforce needed to support the circular battery economy. As the company prepares for future manufacturing scale-up, the ability to train, upskill and grow talent within the Koffman ecosystem will be a critical driver of New York’s clean-energy innovation leadership. The high bay facility strengthens Bridge Green’s ability to develop a skilled workforce in the Southern Tier. As Bridge Green looks ahead to establishing a full-scale manufacturing facility in New York, this consolidated environment provides a foundation for operational excellence and future talent development.
And as is the case with its fellow battery tech contemporaries at Natrion, the company’s growth contributes to regional economic development by preparing workers for emerging roles within the circular battery industry—and is making Western New York and the Southern Tier a vital part of the U.S. battery supply chain.
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