Binghamton University is now a step closer to winning New York’s energy competition, which could bring lithium-ion battery production to the region.

“I have a question of you. Raise your hand if you’ve got a lithium-ion battery on you right now. There’s probably not a single person who didn’t raise their hand. There’s probably not a single one of those lithium-ion batteries that was made in North America,” said Dr. Stanley Whittingham, Nobel Prize winner.

But that could soon change, and in the very near future.

Binghamton University submitted its entry to New York’s Clean Energy Competition. It was one of dozens of entrants, with a winner receiving $75 million.

BU plans to build a lithium-ion battery facility in Endicott, and, there’s good news. They’ve just been approved to move into phase two of the competition, and their odds are better than ever.

“We have about a 30-to-40% chance of winning now. In phase one, we had a less than 1% chance of winning,” said Whittingham.

Whittingham is leading the charge for Binghamton. In front of a packed crowd at the university, a group of elected officials and campus leaders joined together to talk about the next steps.

“When I think of Binghamton University, I think of two things. I think of the word growth and I think of prosperity,” said Republican state Sen. Fred Akshar.

So what would it mean for the area?

If BU comes out on top, the former site of innovation in Endicott would see life once again. IBM buildings would either be demolished or restored to house a massive lithium-ion battery facility.

That would make it not only the first in the Northeast, but the first in North America.

“It’s stupendous. It’s enormous. If we can get this money, it would rejuvenate the Southern Tier and certainly, Endicott and Broome County,” said Whittingham.

“It’s going to really mean the whole revitalization of the whole village,” Endicott Mayor Linda Jackson said.

It’s something longtime residents have been asking for, for years, in the exact location of a site that once dominated the county.

“This is the most we’ve had going on in the village of Endicott for 20 years, and it’s all going together. We don’t want to get in the way of the momentum. We’re right behind Dr. Whittingham. Anything he wants he can get,” said Jackson.

This group now plans to meet a few times over the next couple of weeks, before submitting their final plan next month.

The university will submit its final proposal on March 15. They expect to hear back some time in September.