RICHMOND — A green energy company is planning a major expansion at a historic site on the Richmond waterfront following new real estate deals, adding to its already large presence in the East Bay city.
Moxion Power had already leased a large chunk of space in October 2022 at the Ford Point historic mixed-use complex. It now has agreed to a second lease and will also build a big production center nearby, according to brokers from JLL, a commercial real estate company.
Moxion Power makes clean energy technologies that are mobile, and used by construction, film production, live events, and disaster response companies and organizations.
Last year’s rental deal involving Moxion Power enabled the green energy company to lease 130,000 square feet in the Ford Point development, a vast complex of offices, commercial spaces and industrial sites perched on the Richmond waterfront.
In its latest deal, Moxion Power leased 40,000 square feet at Ford Point for what the company is calling its “Factory One” facility. JLL executives Mike Sample and Greg Matter arranged the lease.
The company also agreed to an option to develop a brand-new production center adjacent to where it leased space at Ford Point, the JLL brokers said. This production center is slated to total 200,000 square feet.
The company’s energy systems are an all-electric alternative to diesel generators. Moxion said its products can be more reliable than conventional mobile sources for producing energy.
“As industries look to decarbonize, there’s enormous demand for cleaner alternatives to the fossil-fuel-burning generators that these industries have historically relied on,” Paul Huelskamp, Moxion Power’s chief executive officer and co-founder, said in 2022 at the time of the prior lease deal.
“The end goal was to find Moxion the best real estate for the business, at the best economics for the business,” said Matter, a JLL executive managing director. “We ran an in-depth, multi-state, site selection process, interacting with many states and municipalities to drive the best outcome.”
Ultimately, Moxion decided that the site for its big new production center would be a few blocks from the Ford Point location where the company already operates its headquarters.
“The site was an ideal balance of manufacturing functionality and a healthy, outdoor-accessible workplace that aligns with Moxion’s core values in supporting an incredible employee experience,” said Sample, a JLL managing director.