March 5 (Reuters) - Tesla is going to build a new megafactory near Houston to

operate a battery storage facility, Electrek reported on Wednesday, citing a tax abatement

agreement with Waller County in Texas.

The electric vehicle company is going to build and manage its Megapack energy products in

over a 1-million-square-foot building near Katy, Texas, according to the report.

Under the tax agreement, the company will receive abatements from the county based on

property upgrades, including $44 million in facility improvements and $150 million in Tesla

manufacturing equipment.

The Waller County office of Economic Development Partnership and Tesla did not immediately

respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

The majority of Tesla's income is generated from its EV business, but CEO Elon Musk has been

working on growing its solar energy and battery business.

Tesla has a similar gigafactory in China, where production trials began late last year. The

plant will help the company take advantage of China's supply chain and lower costs of its

lithium-ion batteries.

The new factory in Texas should also create around 1,500 jobs, Electrek reported.