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SKI to Open Massive Battery Plant in Georgia
South Korea’s SK Innovation Co. is investing nearly $1.7 billion to construct what it claims will be the largest manufacturing plant for lithium-ion batteries in the U.S.
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South Korea’s SK Innovation (SKI) Co. is investing nearly $1.7 billion to construct what it claims will be the largest manufacturing plant for lithium-ion batteries in the U.S.
The new facility will be located in Jackson County, Ga. Due to start early next year, the first phase of the project ($1 billion) is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, according to SKI.
The company didn’t specify the plant’s size or production capacity. To be the largest in the U.S., SKI’s site would have to exceed that of Tesla Inc.’s so-called “Gigafactory” facility in Nevada. That facility is expected to reach its phase-one capacity of 35 gigawatt-hours (enough to supply more than 400,000 electric vehicles per year) by year-end.
Last month, Volkswagen announced plans to add SKI as a battery supplier for electrified vehicles built in Europe and North America. The Korean company, which is part of the SK Group conglomerate, lists Daimler, Hyundai and BAIC among its current battery customers.
In addition to complete battery cells and packs, SKI produces their electrodes and separators. The company also owns several oil refinery and petrochemical companies.
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