MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) -- Ground was broken Monday on an advanced battery manufacturing facility expected to create hundreds of jobs and, according to Vice President Joe Biden, boost a U.S. energy production "revolution."
Biden was on hand for Monday's ceremony in Midland, where the Dow Kokam plant will be built.
When completed in several years, the facility will make lithium-ion battery packs for tens of thousands of hybrid and electric vehicles annually and provide 700 to 800 "green-collar jobs."
The $600 million project also will create hundreds of more jobs for construction workers.
Biden met about a dozen construction workers at the site, shaking their hands and saying, "Hey, guys. How are ya? I'm Joe Biden."
The vice president told reporters he believed the plant represented "the beginning of a revolution in the production of energy in this country."
At the ceremony inside a nearby tent, Biden was introduced by Brenda Still, a heavy equipment operator who hasn't worked yet this year, but has been hired to work at the Dow Kokam site.
"This is not just another dirt-moving job for me," Still said, referencing the development of what many in attendance said is a groundbreaking technology.
Officials said the batteries can store up to three times more energy than the nickel metal hydride batteries currently used in most hybrids.
Biden said the technology eventually would help the U.S. move away from its long-standing reliance on foreign oil.
"This is a gigantic start," toward energy independence, he said.
Biden's appearance at the event was part of a six-week focus on economic recovery act infrastructure projects nationwide.
The Democratic vice president, talking about the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, said he and President Barack Obama "don't think government is the answer," but that it can be the catalyst for an economic recovery by providing the "seed money" as it has in the case of the Dow Kokam plant.
Dow Kokam, which is a joint venture between Dow Chemical Co. and TK Advanced Battery LLC, was given a $161 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to be put toward the construction of the 800,000-square-foot plant.
The state of Michigan also kicked in $180 million in tax incentives.
"There is no question that government partnerships in R&D create industries," Dow Chemical Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris said.
Also on hand Monday were representatives from Dow Kokam, including CEO Ravi Shanker, as well as Gov. Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow.
Shanker said hiring has begun for the permanent jobs at the plant site.
