GM, LG Chem to build new Lordstown plant, create 1,100 jobs

A partnership with General Motors and South Korean company LG Chem will lead to a new factory for electric vehicle batteries and reportedly create 1,100 jobs in Lordstown, Ohio. The facility will be located “in the Lordstown area,” GM announced on Thursday, the site of a former assembly plant that GM closed earlier this year. The company is touting this project as an investment of up to $2.3 billion focused on the mass production of battery cells for future lines of electric vehicles.

The groundbreaking for the plant is planned for next summer.

Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted applauded the news.

“It is great news for Ohio that GM and LG Chem are going to build a new electric battery facility here,” DeWine said. “Ohio is a major supplier state for the automotive industry, and the announcement that Ohio will be the location to manufacture next-generation electric batteries will mean more than 1,100 new jobs for Ohioans.”

Husted was in Warren, Michigan for the deal signing between leaders of GM and LG Chem’s, along with other development officials from Ohio.

“With this investment, Ohio and its highly capable workforce will play a key role in our journey toward a world with zero emissions,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra in the company’s own news release announcing the deal. “Combining our manufacturing expertise with LG Chem’s leading battery-cell technology will help accelerate our pursuit of an all-electric future.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, whose district includes the area of Lordstown, called the development “amazing news for the Mahoning Valley and all of Northeast Ohio.”

“Electric vehicles are the future of our economy and transportation system. Last month’s announcement that Lordstown Motors will build electric trucks here and today’s announcement that GM-LG Chem will manufacture electric batteries here, underscore the leading role our community will play in the electric vehicle revolution happening today,” Ryan said.

State Sen. Sean O’Brien, D-Bazetta, praised the investment in electric vehicles.

“By working across party lines with local and state officials, the Governor’s office and JobsOhio, we were able to secure the joint venture between GM and LG Chem,” O’Brien said. “This significant investment, along with the announcement by Lordstown Motors to build electric trucks at the former GM plant, marks a new chapter in manufacturing for the Valley. Not only does this new venture show that the Valley is open for business, but that we are a leader in developing cutting edge technology.”