Federal, state and city officials pose with executives from battery company Nanoramic Laboratories to commemorate the firm's announcement of plans to open a factory in Bridgeport. Photo courtesy of the city of Bridgeport

Massachusetts-based Nanoramic Laboratories plans to build a battery factory in Bridgeport.

According to an announcement from Sen. Chris Murphy’s office, Nanoramic will fund the project with a $47.5 million allocation from a grant fund set up under President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in 2021.

The factory will create 200 jobs and aims to lower the cost of batteries by up to 27 percent, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim’s office said. Neither Murphy’s nor Ganim’s announcements offered details of how Nanoramic chose his city, or where the factory will be in Bridgeport. The city has a surfeit of vacant industrial real estate.

The Connecticut Post quoted Nanoramic co-founder John Cooley as saying the company picked its location based on “very unique mix and dense concentration of highly specialized manufacturing talent and engineering talent,” and state officials’ “very responsive and supportive” attitude, but reported that no new state or municipal subsidies drove the decision.

Nanoramic’s website says it makes battery parts for electric cars using a new technology that speeds up charging and lets a car’s battery store more energy, giving it a longer range.

“I welcome Nanoramic Laboratories to the City of Bridgeport and I’m grateful that our City was chosen to be the home of such innovative technology that will not only produce jobs but will work in partnership with the sustainability initiatives we already have in place,” Ganim said in a statement. “This is a huge accomplishment for Bridgeport and is the exact vision we have for our City, as jobs are being created while remaining energy efficient. I’m grateful to Governor Ned Lamont, Nanoramic Laboratories, and the U.S. Department of Energy for their investment in this project and the advancement of our City.”