Steel Going up for Lordstown Ultium Battery Plant

LORDSTOWN, Ohio — Workers Wednesday began erecting steel construction for the Ultium Cells LLC battery cell manufacturing plant under construction here – a joint venture between General Motors Co. and LG Chem of South Korea.

The plant will mass-produce Ultium battery cells for electric vehicles, creating more than 1,100 new jobs, according to a press release. The $2.3 billion project broke ground in May and concrete footings have been poured at the site. Construction is expected to continue into the fall.

“We are excited about the progress that our team has made, and we look forward to the finished product – a nearly 3 million-square-foot plant,” said Ken Morris, GM vice president of autonomous and electric vehicle programs. “Our joint venture with LG Chem will allow us to produce advanced battery cells in Lordstown, with the goal of reducing battery costs to accelerate EV adoption and ultimately benefit customers.”

GM and LG Chem announced the project in December 2019. In May, the Lordstown Village Planning Commission approved the site plan for the plant, which finalizes the location of the building, parking lots and road connections on the 158-acre site.

Once operating, the plant will produce battery cells for General Motors’ electric vehicles, including the Cruise Origin, GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. The batteries will also be used in two yet-to-be announced Honda vehicles.

In March, GM announced it was going to invest $20 billion in creating an all-electric vehicle lineup – including 13 electric vehicles by the time the plant begins operations in 2022 – powered by the Ultium battery cell.

Images: General Motors Co.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.