LG Energy to build new plant in US

Korean firm will cooperate with GM to invest $2.6 billion

Ultium Cells, the joint venture of LG Energy Solution and General Motors, has announced that it will build the third battery cell plant in the United States by 2025.

The $2.6 billion facilities in Michigan would create 1,700 jobs and have a battery cell capacity that is big enough to roll out 700,000 electric vehicles a year.

As a result, the joint venture is expected to churn our batteries for more than 1.5 million electric cars by mid-decade. It is now building two other battery plants in the U.S.

“We are extremely excited to have another home here in Lansing, Michigan,” Ultim Cells CEO Kee Eun said.

“This facility will lead us into a new era of manufacturing and sustainability as we push toward a zero-emissions future. Our job is to ensure flawless execution through close collaboration with our partners and the State of Michigan.”

Both LG Energy Solution and GM also welcomed the investment.

“With a shared vision, GM and LG Energy Solution pioneered the EV sector by seizing new opportunities in the market well before anyone else did,” LG Energy Solution CEO Kwon Young-soo said.

“Our third battery manufacturing plant, fittingly located in America’s automotive heartland, will serve as a gateway to charge thousands and later millions of EVs in the future.”

GM CEO Mary Barra said that the significant investment demonstrated the firm’s commitment to strengthening its Michigan and U.S. manufacturing presence and growing good-paying jobs.

“We will have the products, the battery cell capacity, and the vehicle assembly capacity to be the EV leader by mid-decade,” she said.

“The support of the State of Michigan, the City of Lansing, and Delta Township played an important factor in making this investment in Lansing possible. This type of support will be critical moving forward as we continue to take steps to transition our manufacturing footprint to support EV production.”

The Seoul-based company with a 30-year history in the battery business set up its first research center in the U.S. in the early 2000s. In 2010. It established its first battery plant in Holland, Michigan.