The biggest development reshaping Shelbyville and Bedford County is Duksan Electera America's $95 million electrolyte manufacturing facility, billed as the largest single-site electrolyte plant in the United States, which held its grand opening in January 2025. A second marquee project, the $45.4 million Bedford County Higher Education Center, is now open as the new main campus of TCAT Shelbyville on US 231 North.
MARQUEE PROJECT - Duksan Electera America manufacturing facility. South Korea-based Duksan Electera, an electrolyte manufacturer supplying lithium-ion/EV battery cell makers, chose Shelbyville for its first North American plant. The project was announced in July 2022 by Gov. Bill Lee and TNECD Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, broke ground, and held its grand opening on January 29, 2025. It is now operational.
Investment & jobs: $95 million capital investment in Bedford County, with a commitment of 100-plus new jobs (101 cited at announcement) over five years.
Size & capacity: roughly 220,000 sq ft of building area plus 50,000 sq ft of outdoor tank storage. The plant is designed to produce about 60,000 tons of electrolytes annually and is described as the largest electrolyte manufacturing facility in the country. The facility (designed by Gresham Smith) includes a two-story Class-A office building, clean rooms, dry rooms, refrigerated warehousing, and enhanced fire protection for sensitive chemicals.
Expansion outlook: company leadership has said it could expand production within the existing footprint and is scouting additional Tennessee locations, with a stated goal of becoming the leading U.S. electrolyte manufacturer by 2028. (Forward-looking company statements, not guarantees.)
SECOND MAJOR PROJECT - Bedford County Higher Education Center (TCAT Shelbyville), now open. The $45.4 million campus at 2905 US 231 North sits on a 20-acre site and is the new main campus of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Shelbyville. TCAT reported in October 2025 that all of its programs had relocated to the new site, and the college held a ribbon cutting for the facility in November 2025. The campus pairs a two-story academic building (classrooms, student services, administrative offices, a student commons/eatery, a multi-use atrium, and labs for nursing, CAD technology, and office technology) with a one-story industrial workshop building for programs such as automotive technology, HVACR, industrial electricity, industrial maintenance, machine tool technology, and welding. Builder: American Constructors Inc.; design: Bauer Askew Architecture. The City of Shelbyville and Bedford County purchased and donated the land, and the site was designed to allow future buildings for partner colleges and universities. Per an October 2025 report, Bedford County Schools' central office was slated to move into TCAT's former Madison Street building.
Other notable activity: Shelbyville's FY26 budget funds several city projects, including Riverview District/Spring Street improvements, a River Overlook, and a Fairfield Pike turn-lane/sidewalk/signal upgrade. These are public-infrastructure investments rather than a single private megaproject.
Bottom line for context: Duksan Electera is the largest private-sector development (the largest single capital investment and a nationally significant facility), while the now-open TCAT Higher Education Center is the largest public/institutional project.
- Marquee project
- Duksan Electera America electrolyte manufacturing plant, Shelbyville
- Investment
- $95 million
- Jobs
- 100+ (101 at announcement) over 5 years
- Facility size
- ~220,000 sq ft building + 50,000 sq ft outdoor tank storage
- Capacity
- ~60,000 tons of electrolytes/year; largest such plant in the U.S.
- Timeline
- Announced July 2022; grand opening Jan 29, 2025
- Developer/company
- Duksan Electera America, Inc. (S. Korea); facility designed by Gresham Smith
- Status
- Operational
- Second major project
- Bedford County Higher Education Center (TCAT Shelbyville), $45.4M, 2905 US 231 North; open (programs relocated Oct 2025, ribbon cutting Nov 2025)