Hyundai, SK building new battery plant to Bartow County, bringing 3,500 new jobs

A view of the Hyundai's electric IONIQ 5 model car during the introductory event in Istanbul, Turkiye on September 16, 2022. (Photo by Serhat Cagdas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A new Hyundai electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility will bring billions of dollars of investment and thousands of new jobs to Georgia.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday that Hyundai Motor Group and SK On chose a location in Bartow County to be the site that will help supply the automotive manufacturers plants across the country.

Officials say the new facility will be one of the largest economic development projects in Georgia history and will invest approximately $4 to $5 billion into Bartow County.

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"Hyundai Motor Group and SK On are valued partners and key players in our state's ever-growing automotive industry," Kemp said in a statement. "Since day one, my administration has been focused on bringing jobs and opportunity to communities across the state that may have been overlooked in the past. SK and HMG share this goal, and we're proud they are choosing to invest even further in this No. 1 state for business."

In total, officials estimate that the facility will create more than 3,500 new jobs. It will be located at Bartow Centre, an industrial site located on Highway 411.

The company facility is expected to begin operations in 2025.

"Bartow County is very pleased with the decision of Hyundai Motor Group and SK On," Bartow County Sole Commissioner Steve Taylor said. "We thank the owners of the former Bartow Centre Industrial property. Together, we pursued this extraordinary economic development project. The project will have regional benefit for job seekers in the area and establishes Bartow in Georgia’s EV ecosystem in a significant way."

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SK On, the lithium-ion battery branch of SK innovations, currently employs over 2,000 at its SK Battery America facility in Commerce, Georgia.  The construction of the plant is not without controversy, with the FOX 5 I-Team investigating allegations of worker safety issues at the plant's construction site. 

The Hyundai Motor Group announced earlier this year plans to investment over $5.5 billion into an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Bryan County - an investment that led to multiple parts suppliers announcing new facility to supply the plant.