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January 20, 2010

Celgard To Expand and Build New Manufacturing Facility

Governor Beverly Perdue announced today in a Charlotte press conference that Celgard, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polypore International, Inc. (NYSE: PPO), and one of the largest suppliers to the lithium battery industry, will add 289 jobs and invest a total of $91 million in expanded and new infrastructure in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties over the next five years. Perdue confirmed that North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee approved today a One North Carolina Fund Grant and a Job Development Investment Grant to support the Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County projects. In addition, each of the local governments will provide grants for their respective projects.

Charlotte’s expansion portion of the lithium battery separator facility was dependent on Cabarrus County securing a new Celgard manufacturing facility. The expansion of Celgard’s Charlotte plant will create 80 jobs and Cabarrus County’s new manufacturing plant will create 209 jobs. The average wage for the new jobs is $56,960.

“The Charlotte Chamber would like to recognize the Cabarrus County Economic Development Corporation for their assistance in landing this very important project. Working together, we were able to achieve a common goal that benefits both counties and Celgard,” said Bob Morgan, Charlotte Chamber President.

Last August, the company was selected for a grant of approximately $49 million from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for this expansion. The DOE grant is part of the Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The federal program is designed to create jobs in the United States while promoting the development of advanced battery production for the electric drive vehicle market.

“This announcement further demonstrates Governor Perdue's tireless leadership in creating innovative jobs for North Carolinians; it exemplifies our commitment to working regionally with our partners at NC Commerce and the Charlotte Chamber. It typifies the strong relationship that exists between our elected officials and us.” said John Cox, President and CEO of Cabarrus County Economic Development. “These are the kind of jobs we pray for: higher paying, innovative, sustainable — jobs that will create more jobs and a better future for our economy.”

The Charlotte Chamber and Cabarrus Economic Development would like to thank Governor Perdue, the North Carolina Departments of Commerce and Transportation, NC Community Colleges, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the City of Concord and Cabarrus County for their assistance and contribution of support to this important project.

Based in Charlotte, Celgard is a global leader in the development and production of specialty microporous membranes, and is one of the largest suppliers to the lithium battery industry. Celgard® battery separators are highly engineered and are used in disposable and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for personal electronic devices such as notebook computers, mobile telephones, digital cameras, and power tools and are emerging in applications including electric drive vehicles and reserve power and electricity grid management systems.

Click here to read the State of North Carolina Official Press Release

Click here to read the Official Celgard Press Release

Information on job opportunities at Celgard can be found at: http://www.celgard.com/about-celgard/careers.asp

For all other company-related inquiries:

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