
The Microporous Project at the Southern Virginia Megasite in Danville is one of 15 projects across the country to win a Trade & Industry Development’s 2025 CiCi (Capital Investment, Community Impact) Award. In November 2024, the company announced plans to build a $1.35 billion manufacturing facility in Pittsylvania County.
The company will develop two phases of the project on Lot 1 of the Southern Virginia Megasite, each phase being approximately 550,000 square feet. This project will create 2,015 new jobs.
Microporous, headquartered in Piney Flats, Tennessee, is a manufacturer, developer, and marketer of battery separators, plastics, and engineered materials. The company plans to build on its core strength of lead battery separators and transition into lithium-ion battery separators, which are used in automotive starting-lighting-ignition (SLI), automotive start-stop, motive power, and stationary power applications.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Pittsylvania County, the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance, and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Youngkin approved a substantial grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Pittsylvania County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved a grant from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund for the project.
Microporous is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, as well as benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program and the Virginia Port Tax Credits Program. The company is also eligible for the Research and Development Expenses Tax Credit.
Support for Microporous’ job creation will be provided through the Virginia Talent Accelerator Program.